Nova Scotia to welcome up to 30 Syrian families in December

Nova Scotia will be welcoming 20 to 30 Syrian families as part of the first wave of privately sponsored refugees expected to land in Canada in December.

The sponsoring groups are mostly churches as well as the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, saidImmigrationMinister Lena Diab at a news conference Wednesday.

• Syrian refugee family told Canada is next destination
• Justin Trudeau justifies refugee delay, says Liberals want it 'done right'
• Liberals won't meet deadline to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by year's end

The federal government aims to bring 10,000 refugees to Canada by Dec. 31.

Planning is being done by settlement providers, volunteers,the Emergency Management Officeand municipal governments, Diab said.

"We are very pleased with what we heard.My officials will be looking at details in the coming days," she said.

"We are eager to welcome and settle and retain the refugees who to come to Nova Scotia."

917 calls to offer help

The 211 number where people can call to offer assistance to the families has already received 917 calls, Diab said.

There are about 60 sponsoring groups in the province, saidISANS director Gerry Mills.

Refugees who arrive in December will go to the communities where their sponsors are, she said.

"About half are in Halifax and half outside of Halifax," Mill said.

Data provided by the province showsNova Scotians havemadearound 1,300offers offinancial, housing, material and volunteer support so far. That includes almost 80 offers of housing within Halifax and almost 80offers in other parts of the province.

This map shows the number of offers by county. Click or tap the map to check your area.

As the date of arrival draws closer, ISANS will be putting out more specific requests for donations for the families, Mills said.

The federal government has limited its acceptance of single males to those identified as vulnerable due to membership in the LGBT community or those who are accompanying parents as part of a family.

Diabsaidthe policy is not discriminatory.

She said the priority is helping the most vulnerable people,which are families,women and children.

No special security measures are planned to protect the refugees in the wake of anti-Muslim incidentssince the Paris attacks, she added.