I wrote a local government paper this term encouraging cluster settlement of refugees into Ontario's smaller communities. I think Canada would be well served by following Idaho's example here. https://twitter.com/CSISAfrica/status/1338550026105196547

Just to expand: Cities are engines of growth, and growth begets growth. Getting that engine running in rural communities is difficult. But I see refugee resettlement as a great way to build those communities while fulfilling international humanitarian work.

My grandparents weren't refugees, but after the war they settled where they did because of the fact Dutchmen had already made roots in my county. And they weren't the only ones. Dutch immigrants and their descendants are an immutable, integral part of SW Ontario & its culture

They started businesses, built houses, built churches and became part of Canada's small communities. Farming was a big part of that, but many found or made work outside of farming.

Why couldn't we see ourselves welcoming 200 Eritrean refugees to Tillsonburg, or 800 Rohingya in Sarnia, or 20 Lebanese refugees in smaller towns? What enables these communities to be somewhere that future immigrants want to settle?

I know Toronto has jobs, I know work isn't the easiest to find in smaller cities, and I know people's minds jump to fear about xenophobia. But Toronto isn't immune from xenophobia, and smaller towns can be more accepting than we give credit for

Especially when those families could be the difference between your local school or restaurant closing. You could even give those communities autonomy over whether to be part of a special refugee streaming program.

If another level of government picked up the tab for providing modest but comfortable housing, and getting those people on their feet, I think a lot of local governments would look at potential expansions to property tax revenue and welcome the addition to their communities

And for all the bitching about the lack of tradespeople, I think we face a long-term crisis in training enough. So this program would be well paired with expanded skills upgrading and trade certification programs for new immigrants or refugees

One other thought I had on this: Imagine how much less devastated Chatham-Kent's agricultural workforce would have been if instead of TFWs in bunks they had workers each living in their own homes

Not a perfect plan, and building new housing is expensive, and jobs would be tough, but a guy can dream, right?

On a second note within this article, I've been toying with the idea that if Canada is going to try to increase its aid to meet its OECD GNI target, why not focus. Pick an African country that wants international support and say...

"We're committing to long-term state building in your country. You get $1B a year for the next ten years. Spend it on what you think will make your country stronger, infrastructure, health, education, emergency relief, whatever you think is best"

(within reason). Attach no foreign policy or trade strings, as long as the country has a passable liberal democratic framework. Have Canadians on the ground helping with the execution if it makes people more at ease about potential corruption.

No reason we can't play a role in cranking up HDI. And we can always use more friends. Africa is already a major part of the global present and it will only be a bigger part of the global future.

China gets this, and the US and its allies are letting themselves get geopolitically outmaneuvered, and I don't know what that means in the long run.

Canada can't fix that on its own, but we can set an example for how to make friends while giving governments of those countries the resources they need to develop and improve the lives of their people

Again I return to the Netherlands. There is what seems like an immortal connection there with Canada in thanks for housing the Royal Family and for our role in Liberation. But those memories will fade.

Who are the next people who let us tell our children to sew our flags on their backpacks with pride? What does that take in the modern world? I think its worth figuring that out.

This is a late night rant, so it could well be misinformed, misguided, shortsighted, plain ignorant of the way things are, and I could understand a critique that I frame things in such a way that its all about Canadian's interests and how we can benefit.

All that said, its a romantic vision. If you have comments about that, or what is realistic, or criticisms, I would welcome them.