There's No Place Like Emerson

Good Morning Gentle Readers

This is why I love Canada…..

Nope they are not tossed in jail, not tossed back out into the cold….

But we will open the community center for them….

Are people fleeing the fear of racism and bigotry, the culture of fear that is growing in the world by coming to Canada, the short answer is yes…..

We are a Country with its own share of problems but being driven by fear is not one of them I hope and pray. As Christians we have to open our hearts to the stranger and the alien, we have to say this is our brother, this is our sister regardless of their beliefs or race and the good people of Emerson have done that. These people crossed open countryside in winter in minus seventeen degree cold risking life and limb to find a place to just be allowed to live without fear, in my humble opinion I say let them in, let them stay, give them the home that all people need and deserve….

God Bless you Emerson, God Bless…

Take Care and God Bless

Good Enough

By Tessa Vanderhart and Austin Grabish

Emerson, Man., emergency workers helped at least 27 refugees who crossed the border Saturday morning. 

Refugees entering from the U.S. are walking through open farmers' fields to pass through the border into Manitoba near the town.

The town's emergency measures co-coordinator, Bill Spanjer, said they came in two groups. 

Emerson-Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen said local emergency crews were dispatched after two 911 calls were made Saturday in the wee hours of the morning.

The report said 27 asylum seekers were found in total. He said he's been told a bus dropped off one group of 16 people alone. 

"They're housing them all at customs," he said Saturday afternoon.

Janzen said there was at least one family that crossed the border with their children.

A group of five was located approximately six kilometers north of the customs office on Highway 75, and the larger group appears to have crossed at Noyes, Minn., he said. 

Both groups called 911 right after they crossed the border, and RCMP and the fire department responded. 

"These people basically call 911 as soon as they cross," he said. "It's not the locals who are calling 911, it's the actual asylum-seekers who are calling 911," Spanjer said. 

Spanjer said the municipality is waiting to hear from Canada Border Services Agency whether the community centre needs to be open to provide the refugees a place to stay. 

On Thursday, the border town of 671 held an emergency meeting with members of the Canada Border Services Agency and Mounties to talk about concerns over a recent surge of refugees passing through. 

"In the short term, you're not going to see any immediate change," Spanjer said. "The meeting was more called to decide as to who is responsible for what, and lay the processes out on the table, so that everybody knew what the process was."

​According to the Canada Border Services Agency, 403 people entered Canada near the town over a nine-month period last year, up from 340 in the 2015-16 fiscal year and 68 in 2013-14.

Last weekend, 22 people made the journey — 19 on Saturday and three on Sunday — according to the RCMP.

It was the largest group the CBSA says it's ever seen in such a short time span.

Last week, another 10 refugee claimant files were opened, said Rita Chahal, executive director of the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council.

"I certainly think people are taking their lives in their hands trying to do this in the middle of winter," Spanjer said Saturday.

"Even with the temperatures warming up, they're still subject to frostbite if they get stuck or lost out there. But that's a chance that they certainly appear to be willing to take."

At 6 a.m. it was –17C in Emerson.