Saint John mayor issues 'call to action' to help refugees

The mayor of Saint John is asking residents of his cityto do theirpart to help re-settle some 500 Syrian refugees, due there by the end of February.

Mayor Mel Norton called it a "call to action" to respond to the humanitarian crisis, at a news conference Thursday.

Norton said it's going to take time, skills, and money, and he needs Saint Johners to open their hearts.

"Basic things like meeting and greeting people at the airport, making sure they set up bank accounts, making sure they find their way to the library, that they can get groceries," he said.

Accepting 500 new arrivals is a huge undertaking for a city that would normally see that number spread over a decade.

"Normally we only see 60 to 65 individuals on an annual basis, so this is a lot for a three-month period," said Saint John YMCA CEO Shilo Boucher.

Boucher said the newcomer program has set up a web site to help organize goods and volunteers, and is already getting a promising response.

"We have 40 translators who have stepped forward, which is huge for us and our small community," she said.

The city and the Y promise to keep the public up to date, as they learn when families will comewhich sometimes happens withas little as 24hours notice.