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The federal government announced in August that it would the rent hotel rooms for about 450 irregular migrants who had been staying college dormitories in the Greater Toronto Area. The colleges needed the dorm rooms for their incoming fall students and there was no room in the city’s shelters.

The shelters have continued to be inundated.

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Approximately 40 per cent of shelter occupants in the GTA are refugees and the City of Toronto says 15 to 20 new asylum seekers continue to arrive at shelters every day.

“With the city’s shelter system at capacity, accommodating these new arrivals continues to put even more pressure on the system and the city has exhausted all facilities, personnel and financial resources available to meet the current needs,” City of Toronto official Cheryl San Juan said Monday.

“The city continues to work with the provincial and federal governments and seeks the establishment of a coordinated, regional response to this issue.”

The government of Ontario says other communities such as Ottawa are also affected.

Ontario has asked the federal government to work with municipalities and provide “full funding” for temporary housing and for the “growing cost of social services,” according to a statement from the province.

Ontario has asked for $200 million to recoup costs it says its has incurred from irregular border crossers. The Quebec government has also asked for $146 million in asylum costs.

The federal government did commit $50 million to the three provinces most directly impacted by the refugee claimant influx for temporary housing — $36 million for Quebec, $11 million for Ontario and $3 million for Manitoba. The feds say they will continue to “assist provinces and municipalities in managing further challenges related to asylum seekers” but Crosby noted Monday that “the provision of housing to asylum seekers is a provincial responsibility.”