Syrian refugees, after having made the long journey to Canada, continue to face barriers to accessing appropriate housing. There is widespread discrimination: landlords routinely ask for several months of rent upfront believing that refugees get a lump sum amount from the government. Even items that form a standard rental application such as employment letters or credit cheques pose tremendous barriers to newcomers who seldom have any of this information. Rather than tailor their process to accommodate the influx of Syrian refugees (many of whom are privately sponsored), many landlords continue to perpetuate discriminatory and rigid practices.
This article, which appeared on the CBC website in late December, provides a local context:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/syrian-refugees-toronto-1.3366345
While, the following article in Metro News which provides an Alberta context, also raises many of the same concerns:
http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2016/01/12/syrian-refugees-asked-for-6-months-rent-calgary-landlords.html