Toronto businessman Mohamad Fakih pledges $20K to house refugees stuck on city streets
A Toronto businessman has personally pledged to donate at least $20,000 to house refugees who have been camped out in downtown Toronto for weeks.
“They don't need a handout; they need a hand up. Those people are exactly like [me when] I came here and a lot of us came here, and we need to step up for them and show them that we can do better,” Paramount Fine Foods Founder Mohamad Fakih told Newstalk1010 Monday morning.
He said advocates and volunteers are working to find a place for these refugees to live and once they secure space, he will personally foot the bill.
Dropped off some more hot meals at Peter St to the asylum seekers who have been abandoned by our governments and left to fend for themselves on the streets. It's time to fix this terrible situation #cdnpoli #onpoli #topoli pic.twitter.com/fDbsc0L3oG
— Mohamad Fakih, C.M. (@mohamadfakih8) July 16, 2023
Fakih is asking other private citizens to pitch in what they can. “It's our job. It's our Canadian dream for us to protect and to send the message that no that's not the welcome we want to provide them,” he said. “Every single minute, every single day comes to these people when they're sitting in the street, and they're not safe.”