‘By providing short-term accommodation and essential services, we are helping people take the first steps toward stability and independence,’ says warden
Dozens of asylum seekers fleeing persecution in countries around the world could soon come to Bradford West Gwillimbury on their journey to begin a new life here in Canada.
During the Aug. 4 Bradford council meeting, the County of Simcoe’s social and community services general manager Mina Fayez-Bahgat, community partnerships policy and business intelligence director Joseph Stalteri and local immigration partnership supervisor Jessica Heitzner presented plans to convert 136 Barrie St. into the county’s first temporary reception centre.
The centre is intended to help asylum seekers — who have already been admitted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and are mostly located in Toronto and Peel Region — find housing and employment in and around South Simcoe.
“The primary objectives and outcomes of the program are to provide settlement and stabilization support, with short-term accommodation,” Stalteri said. “The idea is to reduce pressure on emergency shelter systems and social services … by providing those kinds of support needed to help individuals and families transition and settle in the community.”
Anticipated to launch in September and run for 12 months, the centre will offer food and transitional housing with average stays of 90 days and a capacity of 54 people.
“By providing short-term accommodation and essential services, we are helping people take the first steps toward stability and independence,” county Warden Basil Clarke said in a press release the following morning.
The county has partnered with service providers such as the YMCA of Simcoe-Muskoka and COSTI Immigrant Services to provide clients with case management and assistance with housing, employment, education, health as well as integration into the Canadian culture and local community.
“These are people that quickly are motivated to integrate through employment and language services and training into community, and that’s been proven through our Ukrainian experience,” Fayez-Bahgat said during the meeting.
He explained the county has been running a refugee program for Ukrainians since 2023, in which time they have served 250 families — none of whom needed external help from social services thanks to the program.
One donated building helped house 60 people from 25 families — all of whom were served and moved on within 90 days, according to Fayez-Bahgat.
The Bradford centre is planned to have no walk-in access, with admission through co-ordinated referrals only, and focus on families and vulnerable households who include skilled candidates that can be matched with in-demand employment sectors.
The centre is expected to be staffed 24-7 with both reception and security. While no safety issues are anticipated, Fayez-Bahgat explained security is a standard requirement of IRCC for the program.
Fayez-Bahgat said neighbours should expect to see and hear no disturbance from the centre.
Much of the information came in response to questions from councillors and residents as all the audience seats in the council chamber were full, with about 60 more people standing in the back or spilling out into the lobby.
About a dozen residents also spoke to the issue during open forum, with some concerned about the character of potential clients.
Heitzner explained the federal government is responsible for vetting asylum seekers. Some of the criteria that would automatically make a person ineligible include being convicted of a serious offence, being inadmissible based on security of criminal grounds, having previously been denied asylum status or having already been granted asylum in another country to which they can return.
The County of Simcoe’s social and community services general manager Mina Fayez-Bahgat (left) and local immigration partnership supervisor Jessica Heitzner speak during the Bradford West Gwillimbury council meeting on Aug. 4, 2026. Michael Owen/BradfordToday
Many concerns also centred around a lack of public consultation.
Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper represents the area and took exception to the presentation only being made after the county had already purchased the property and plans were well underway.
“There’s no evidence of that meaningful prior consultation. This is why you see the residents here right now,” he said. “The lack of transparency for this … it really frustrates me.”
Up until they moved into their new facility at 31 Fredrick St. on July 15, the property at 136 Barrie St. was being used for LOFT’s assisted living facility.
According to town records, the property is currently zoned Residential Two (R2-1) which permits boarding and rooming houses, crisis care facilities, and group homes, among other things.
As a result, no public meeting was needed.
Still, Fayez-Bahgat noted the county’s local immigration partnership (LIP) has been operating for about 20 years and county staff have regularly presented updates to the local councils as well as at county council.
In 2024, one of the primary goals of the county’s resettlement strategy also included creating a multicultural resettlement centre in South Simcoe, where data from the census and LIP agencies shows the largest population of newcomers reside, according to Fayez-Bahgat.
When it comes to 136 Barrie St. in particular, the purchase decision was made in closed-session, but Deputy Mayor and county Coun. Raj Sandhu confirmed Bradford council was briefed on the details on Oct. 28.
“Around this table, everyone got the email,” he said.
After the meeting, Harper claimed that brief was provided under confidentiality, meaning none of the information could be shared with residents ahead of time, preventing any meaningful consultation.
In response to a request from LOFT for county funding, Fayez-Bahgat confirmed the county instead agreed to purchased the property from LOFT in July 2025, and since then had been leasing it back to them at no cost.
That purchase was made possible thanks to a $4.4-million grant from the federal interim assistance housing program (IHAP) to the county for 2025-27.
“Strong partnerships between governments, municipalities and service providers are essential to respond to the diverse housing needs across our country,” Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in a press release.
The grant covered about $2.86 million or 95 per cent of the roughly $3.01-million purchase price, with the county covering about $150,000 or five per cent from funds it had set aside.
The remaining $1.54 million of grant funding is set to help cover 75 per cent of operating costs, with the county set to cover the remaining 25 per cent.
Those costs include insurance, utilities, staff time, plus about $800,000 for COSTI, $120,000 for YMCA Simcoe-Muskoka, $120,000 for security and the remainder for food costs.
Fayez-Bahgat confirmed the county funding is coming from its own dedicated sources, and there is no anticipated impact on the tax levy.
Once the IHAP grant funding is exhausted and the centre has completed its 12-month run, the county plans to end the centre program.
They are already considering redeveloping the property afterwards, similar to their affordable housing complex at 151 Simcoe Rd. and perhaps integrating some form of multicultural centre.
While he called Bradford a “very welcoming community,” Mayor James Leduc echoed the sentiment from others around the table and in the crowd, that even if the federal government were to extend the centre’s funding, he wants it to be finished after 12 months “full stop.”
Meanwhile, the county representatives agreed to participate in a local oversight committee to help respond to concerns about the new centre.
Additional information and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the county’s website.