Refugees will go to Saskatchewan's 4 biggest cities

Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert are among the 36 communities across Canada where Syrian refugees will be going, the federal government says.

Saskatchewan's four biggest cities have service providers who are able to provide immediate help to the refugees, the Citizenship and Immigration Department explained.

On Tuesday, the federal government said it would be bringing 10,000 refugees to Canada by the end of the year, with another 15,000 by the end of February 2016.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said Wednesday the province expects to receive around 850 refugees, but hasn't received official word on thenumber.

Wall also spoke positively about how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was handling things. Wall met with Trudeau earlier in the week.

"I want to commend the prime minister for the decision that his government has taken with respect to the refugee initiative," Wall said Wednesday. "The prime minister was pretty clear when he met with us that he wanted to ensure that there was settlement success for communities and obviously for the refugees."

One of the settlement agencies that will be involved is the Regina Open Door Society. They are set to provide an update Thursday on how their plans are going. The agency is among several organizations (including the Red Cross, the Islamic Association and the city) that will be working on a variety of matters, such as housing, donation management, volunteer management and translation services.

On Wednesday, YMCAs across Saskatchewan announced they will be offering free memberships to refugee families who arrive.

Here's a list of communities and areas that will be receiving Syrian refugees:

Atlantic:

• St. John's, Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John
  

Province of Quebec:

• Qubec City, Trois-Rivires, Victoriaville, Drummondville, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Gatineau, Laval, Saint-Jrme, Joliette, Sainte-Hyacinthe, Brassard, Granby.

Ontario:

• Windsor, Ottawa, London, Toronto, Kitchener, Hamilton

Prairies:

• Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge.

British Columbia:

• The Lower Mainland