Ontario Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Lisa Macleod turns away after scrumming with reporters at the Ontario Legislature, in Toronto on Thursday, July 5, 2018. Macleod had informed federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen that the Ontario Provincial Government is stepping back from an immigration agreement with Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — The Ford government has formally requested $200 million from the federal government to deal with the swelling numbers of asylum seekers.

In a letter sent to several federal ministers accompanying the demand, Ontario’s minister responsible for immigration, Lisa MacLeod, accused the Trudeau government of “testing the patience” of Ontarians

It’s the latest in a very public fight with the federal Liberals since the Ford Conservatives were sworn in last month.

The province is demanding the federal government cover $200 million in costs incurred so far at the provincial and municipal level to accommodate 36,000 refugees who have landed in Ontario since 2016. On top of that MacLeod’s letter says another 5,500 relocated to Ontario from Quebec.

A federal government source suggested Ontario is conflating the total number of refugee claimants with irregular asylum seekers. The source said less than half of the refugee claimants that come to Canada enter the country between ports.

“Abiding by Canadian laws to keep Canadians safe and respecting our international obligations is not optional, it is a requirement,” read a statement from immigration spokesperson Mathieu Genest. “It is disappointing that the Ontario government has decided to view this as a choice, and is playing politics on this issue by spreading disinformation about a vulnerable group of people.”

[READ MORE: Trudeau suggests Ford doesn’t fully understand Canada’s refugee system]

But the Ford Tories say the “choices” made by the Trudeau Liberals sparked the extra pressures on the immigration system.

“Communities across Ontario have been straining to support a high number of the illegal border crossers,” MacLeod wrote. Premier Doug Ford’s government has consistently called asylum seekers who irregularly cross the border “illegal” — a term that the federal government has carefully avoided.

While crossing the border at an unauthorized location is illegal, being an asylum seeker does not make someone a criminal; Canadian law gives claimants the right to a fair hearing.

Ontario’s official opposition is accusing the Tories of using “incendiary language” that “sows the seeds of hate.” The government’s use of the word “illegal” is also spilling into the house where the legislature will debate a related motion on Wednesday.

“It does not further our province in any way, it only creates more hate,” Horwath said.

She said MacLeod’s language gives “license” to attacks like one in Toronto where a man is seen berating a Muslim family saying “you don’t tell me what to do in my province.”

MacLeod called the incident “unacceptable” in a “diverse, welcoming society.” She urged Ontarians to be “respectful.”

In her letter to Ottawa MacLeod points to Toronto to show the pressure social services are under. In the city, refugees make up roughly 45 per cent of the shelter population. The minister argues that the drain on the system has been exacerbated by the long wait to process the claims.

“This crisis situation is aggravated by the lengthy delays in the federal government’s refugee determination system. Hearings that should be completed within 60 days are now taking approximately 20 months to be held,” MacLeod writes. The federal source said the two-month target to process claims was put in place under the last government without enough resources. Ottawa’s latest budget adds resources that are expected to move the time it takes to process claims from nearly two years to one year. The current time that it takes to process a refugee claim is adding to the costs according to MacLeod who said the federal government “must regain control of the processing timetable so that failed claimants leave more quickly, and those accepted as refugees are able to move ahead and integrate into Ontario society.” Her letter breaks down the price tag with the biggest cost coming from the social assistance bill:

$74 million, by years end, for the city of Toronto

$3 million identified for the Red Cross to support their services in temporary shelters

$12 million for the City of Ottawa

$90 million in social assistance income support

$20 million primary and secondary education spaces

Unspecified costs to legal aid for the refugee claims

MacLeod’s $200 million demand was first made at an immigration committee meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday. She said the letter represents a “formal request for direct and full compensation.” So far the Trudeau government has pledged $11 million for Ontario which is part of what is being called a $50 million first instalment to the most affected provinces, including Manitoba and Quebec. The federal government has also said it would move 540 refugee claimants staying in college dorms to hotels. MacLeod told reporters Thursday that the cost for the hotels would likely be covered by Toronto because “federal government has not indicated whatsoever that they’re willing to pay for any of these costs.” However the federal source said that is incorrect and Ottawa had already struck a deal with Toronto to cover the costs of the hotels while Toronto will manage the move from the dorms. Genest pointed out that Ottawa invested $173 million in the latest budget to improve border security and speed up processing of asylum claims. “Our government is managing the increased movement of asylum seekers in a responsible and measured way,” he said. Horwath said she believes Ontario has a responsibility to share the costs with Ottawa but would not specify what the division should be.

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