P.E.I. refugee aid groups waiting to hear when Syrians will arrive

Island groups that work with refugees are doing their best to prepare for a wave of newcomers from Syria and Iraq.

They're waiting on news from the new Liberal government, honouring Prime Minister Trudeau's campaign commitment to accept 25,000 new refugees by the end of the year.

It's starting to come together, we're just waiting on the announcement.- Susan Nye-Brothers, Catholic Diocese Refugee Committee

"It's pooling resources right now," said Susan Nye-Brothers, with the Catholic Diocese Refugee Committee.

"Just having a running list of folks who are interested in anywhere from on-the-ground help, volunteer, to people offering sizable donations, to folks interested in offering homes or apartments, things like that. It's starting to come together, we're just waiting on the announcement from Trudeau's office."

Nye-Brothers saidcurrently 40 Syrian refugees are expected to arrive on the Island in the next sixmonths.

She saidshe's constantly fielding calls from Islanders looking to help, and she'll take them up on those offersas soon as there is news from Ottawa.

Craig Mackie, executive director with the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers to Canada, is also anxious for the plan.

Among the details he's worried about are the need for temporary housing for the refugees, healthcare, and immediate English language training. He's hoping to help build a task-force to get ready.

"I've suggested thatwe start pulling people together, and the response from the provincial governmentis 'Yeah, we should get on that,'" said Mackie.

The province's Department of Education is already making plans. Janet Perry-Payne, the English as an additional languageadministrator,has organized an information session.

"The need to reach out to those schools that may be receiving new families, and they haven't before, is really important," she said.

"We want the families and the children to feel like they are welcomed into our school system, and that's part of settling on P.E.I."

This week, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum confirmed that bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees by year's end remains a "firm objective" of the federal government.

Still, there's no word yet on when an announcement will happen on those details.