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Since November, I’ve been covering the arrival and settlement of close to 2,000 Syrian refugees in B.C., most of whom have landed in the Lower Mainland. It’s been a humbling and eye-opening experience.

After the stories run, I inevitably get a glut of emails and tweets. Some are from people who are moved by empathy and want to help. I’ve heard from retired teachers, medical professionals, people with experience settling refugees who want to provide companionship or support and people who want to donate things. These people I try to answer right away, first getting in touch with the Syrian family to make sure whatever is being offered, is, in fact, welcome and appropriate. All the families so far have gratefully accepted any help that is offered.

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But unfortunately, I also get a lot of emails and comments on refugee stories that prove that what can charitably be described as ignorance — and less charitably as racism — is alive and well in this province. Probably the most stomach churning was the one that referred to newborn Syrian twins as vermin. I get so many of those that it is impossible for me to answer all of them. There are, however, some common themes and questions that arise. With the first 2,000 of our new Syrian neighbours settling in now and another 1,500 set to arrive in the fall, I thought I’d take a few moments to address some of the common questions and misconceptions about refugees I hear from readers on a regular basis.