Feds issue tender for 150 hotel rooms in Fredericton area for refugees

The federal government has issued a tender for 150 hotel rooms in Fredericton and Oromocto for refugees.

The tender, published Monday and open until Thursday, shows the government is seeking to accommodate 450 refugees for an undetermined length of time. 

"Canada requires meals to be provided for each hotel guest, together with provisioning of associated support services to assist in providing the refugees with a comfortable and safe residential environment until they travel onwards to their final settlement destinations in Canada," states the document. 

Lisa Bamford De Gante, the executive director of the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, says the settlement agency for the area has so far been able to find accommodations for most newcomers. While there have been reports of shortages of appropriate housing in Saint John, that has not been the case in the capital region. 

New Brunswick is slated to receive 1500 refugees for settlement. Currently, 928 people have settled in the province. 

• 314 people in Fredericton (58 families)
• 313 people in Saint John (61 families)
• 301 people in Moncton (55 families)

Bamford said she was aware of the tender but declined to comment. 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada had not yet responded to CBC News' queries about the tender at time of publication.