With up to 500 Syrian refugees expected to arrive in Saint John by the end of February, Mayor Mel Norton telling us many of them are highly skilled and highly employable and have the kind of qualifications we need in this city.
With that in mind, Norton says right off the bat we need welcome teams to start helping link up the new families with wherever it is their job skills are best suited. He says, “it may not be in their former profession but maybe it’s in something that utilizes their skill set but that’s something that needs to be done.”
Norton believes if there’s any place where the Syrian refugees can thrive it’s going to be right here in the Port City, saying we have an economy that in the years to come is going to be a growing economy. Norton says it would be difficult to list the number of former refugees who are now Saint Johners who have opened their own business.
The federal government plans to resettle 25,000 refugees. New Brunswick can accomodate 1500.
