Montreal prepares for possible summer influx of asylum seekers

Montreal is taking stock of its housing options as it prepares for another possible increase in asylum seekers this summer.

"We want to take action to ensure there is lodging," MagdaPopeanu, vice-chair of the city's executive committee, said Wednesday.

The city openedthe cavernous Olympic Stadiumto asylum seekers for about a monthlast August.

However, Popeanu stressedthat the Plante administrationis reluctant to usethe Big O this year.

"I hope to never open it again for that purpose," she said.

There's been a steady flow of asylum seekers so far in 2018.

A total of 1,486 people crossed in February, and 1,458 crossed in January.

The numbers for March haven't yet been released, but the border guards union and provincial aid officials have noted a recent increase.

More than 9,000 people illegally crossed into Quebec between June and the end of August last year, according to federal government data, stretching the limits of Quebec's resources.

New arrivals mostly from Nigeria

Jean-Pierre Fortin, president of the Customs and Immigration Union, said border agentsremarked an uptickin arrivals over the Easter long weekend.

The majority, he said, originated in Nigeriaand had been living in the U.S.with expired visas.

"This gives us a clear signal of what we can anticipate in a few months to come when the weather will be warmer," he said, adding that agents need more resources to deal with a possible influx.

PRAIDA, the provincial government organization that helps refugee claimants in their first months in Quebec, also noted a recent increase.

SpokespersonEmmanuellePaciullosaid PRAIDAhas the capacity to deal "with a significant number of requests, without compromising on the quality of health care and social services."

The most common countries of origin, she said, are Nigeria, followed by Congo,Eritrea, Turkey, Syria and Burundi.

RCMP Const. Genevive Byrne wouldn't confirm whether there has been a recent increasein the number of crossings. She said the agencydoesn't yet have specific figures available.

"The only thing I can say would be that the situation is in continuous change," she said. "There's always a constant flux."