Canada is already dealing with record numbers of refugee claimants: In July, almost 20,000 people filed refugee claims, according to Immigration and Refugee Board data – the highest monthly total on record and driven by global displacement, advocates and experts told Reuters.
The number has since dipped, to about 16,400 in September, but remains historically high. There are more than 250,000 claims pending, according to the board.
Canada’s government has slashed the number of permanent and temporary immigrants but has less control over how many people claim asylum.
…, which does almost nothing to “bust” the “myth”.
The point about miscounting duplexes is a good one, as is the temporary housing that wasn’t in use on the day of the census.
But that article is attempting to defend against a different point than the one I was making; it was defending against the vacant houses being a result of the vacant homes taxes.
The point I was making is that it’s not the homes themselves that are an issue but their affordability/fitness for housing the unhoused.
Another point that neither they nor I made is that the market actually needs vacant homes in order for mobility to be possible. Again, the issue here is WHICH homes are vacant / unoccupied, and the census data and the other data doesn’t always go into enough detail there.
Either way, there are plans to build more homes in the next four years. And there’s a lot if rural Canada where people can live more affordably… especially if they do remote work.
Asylum seekers are often skilled and quite often in information roles.