Lifeline Syria will recruit, train and assist sponsor groups to welcome and support 1,000 Syrian refugees coming to Canada as permanent residents to resettle in the Greater Toronto Area over the next two years.

Toronto, June 17, 2015 — United Nations officials have warmly greeted a citizen-led initiative to resettle 1,000 Syrian refugees in the Greater Toronto Area over the next two years.

As a group of the GTA’s leading citizens, politicians, faith and community leaders prepare to launch Lifeline Syria in Toronto on Wednesday (June 17), Furio De Angelis, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Representative in Canada, welcomed the move as having the potential to make a global impact.

“We welcome this initiative by Torontonians as it is an important step towards UNHCR’s global appeal to increase resettlement or other humanitarian admission programs for the most vulnerable refugees from the war in Syria,” Mr. De Angelis said.

“Let’s this be a launching pad for yet another show of generosity and solidarity by Canadians to provide protection to refugees in need, like during Operation Lifeline in the 80’s.”

Emulating the success of Operation Lifeline in 1979, when Canadians stepped up to resettle 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Lifeline Syria will give residents of the GTA an opportunity to help resolve what has been described as “the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era.”

A special media launch of Lifeline Syria will be held Wednesday June 17^th to mark the official beginning of the initiative. Lifeline Syria organizers, members of sponsor groups, former Syrian refugees and Syrian Canadian families in the GTA will be available to answer questions from the media following the main speakers.

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Time: 1:30 pm
Location: 2nd floor, COSTI’s Corvetti Education Centre, 760 College Street

For more information, please contact: Alexandra Kotyk, Lifeline Syria Project Manager, 647-280-9765, [email protected] or go to www.lifelinesyria.ca.

Photo by Mustafa Öztürk for UNHCR Relief effort for Syrian refugees in Syria-Lebanon border, March 2012