Canada is paying much more to help asylum seekers, and the bills are rising faster than officials expected.The Immigration and Refugee Board plans to spend $335 million in 2024-25, up 27% from $264 million three years ago. Ottawa added an extra $87 million after the 2022 Budget when the number of claims began to surpass the system’s capacity..Parks Canada revokes permit for MAGA supporting Christian artist's concert over ‘safety’ concerns.Even that has not kept pace as last year roughly 140,000 people asked for protection, more than double the figure in 2022.Housing has now become the most significant asylum expense. The federal Interim Housing Assistance Program will get $1.1 billion over the next three years, while a separate $362.4 million injection this year helped cities that ran out of shelter space..Nowhere shows the sticker shock more clearly than Niagara Falls, where accommodating 5,000 claimants in hotels between February 2023 and February 2024 cost $115 million, which is an average of $208 a day for each person and a jump of 200% from pre-pandemic levels.Healthcare costs are climbing fast. Federal spending through the Interim Federal Health Program is projected at $411 million this year, 600% higher than the $60 million recorded in 2016. .HANNAFORD: Canada shall be saved? Sorry Sean, you might be a bit late.Delays in deciding cases mean Ottawa must cover doctor visits, prescriptions, and emergency treatment for longer periods.All in, federal departments spent more than $2 billion in support for refugees and asylum seekers in the last fiscal year, a figure that does not include the money provinces and municipalities pay for legal aid, social services, and local shelters.Officials warn the price tag could grow if claim volumes stay near record levels and temporary top ups expire.
