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"Hamilton takes first step toward 'sanctuary city' concept"

“The city of Hamilton is looking into how it treats new Canadians without official status, the first step in potentially becoming a “sanctuary city” where undocumented immigrants can access public services without question.

The emergency and community services committee voted Monday to investigate how “undocumented individuals” access city services. Coun. Brian McHattie of Ward 1, would like to investigate Hamilton following in the steps of Toronto, New York and Chicago in declaring a no-questions-asked policy for non-status immigrants.

When a city declares itself a sanctuary city, it means undocumented immigrants can access health care and social services without fear of being reported. McHattie suspects the city, particularly its public health unit, already informally does this. 

“In practice, it’s already happening, but we want to raise the profile of the issue and look to see if there’s any gaps,” he said.

“Certainly there’s a number of people out there who don’t know they have access to services and are living in fear and doing without, whether it’s schooling or housing or important medical services. We want to get that message out.”

Published by CBC http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/2013/06/11/hamilton-sanctuary-city.html

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