As vulnerable refugees arrive in Canada, they bear the brunt of war and persecution. Arriving in a new country, they placed their trust and safety in the hands of the Canadian government and organizations contracted by Ottawa to help them resettle and navigate their new homeland.
A CTV National News investigation has found that a Toronto-area refugee organization has been sending unsuspecting families to search for their first home with a real estate agent currently facing a sexual assault charge.
Ghassan Alsouki, who also works as a driving instructor, was charged with sexual assault by a student in January. Her criminal case is still before the courts.
A recent CTV National News story featured Abdul Basir Talash, a father of six. The family fled Kabul for Canadian soil 10 months ago. They have been living in what some are calling a “ghost hotel” for refugees west of Toronto for nearly a year. After we went public with their story, they were told that they would be taken out of the hotel and taken to a house while they await confirmation of their refugee status, which had been long overdue.
When it comes to waiting to be placed in a safe situation, Talash tells CTV National News, “every family that comes to Canada, not just my family, everyone expects that.”
However, Trudeau’s government-contracted organization called Polycultural, which is paid to help resettle hundreds of refugees in Ontario, connected the Talash family and many other refugee families with Alsouki, as he faces a criminal charge.
Refugee advocate Mona Elshayal says she is “shocked” that “vulnerable” members of our community are in this situation.
“How come they (Polycultural) did not carry out police checks on people who have direct access outside the hotel, in the houses?”
Alsouki criminal charge previously reported onthough when Marwan Ismail, the CEO of Polycultural spoke to CTV National News, he said he and his staff had no idea about the sexual assault charge.
“No. No way. We didn’t know about this,” Ismail told CTV National News by phone.
The organization now says Alsouki will not take any more refugee families to see houses.
Talash, who has yet to find a suitable home for his family, says the federal government is losing focus when it comes to overseeing the operations of refugee and immigrant service companies that have been awarded big contracts worth of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Polycultural must be stopped and terminated immediately or this contract must be handed over to any other organization,” says Talash.
CTV National News spoke with Alsouki by phone. He said that he does not believe he informed Polycultural of the sexual assault charges against him. He also said that he hasn’t taken any refugees recently, although the Talash family say he himself took them to see a house just two weeks ago.
CTV National News requested an on-camera interview with Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, but was told he was not available. Our request for written responses to our many questions was not provided by our deadline.
Last year I rescued two Afghan families and they were put up at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the the airport. Polyculture was t”supposedly” taking care of the welfare of the refugees. My two rescuees opted for Toronto/Mississauga. Polyculture reps were trying to insist that they go to BC. My rescuees refused. One day when my rescuee (the husband) went down to the lobby for something, two Polyculture almost immediately went and knocked on the door and got the wife and a daughter sign some paper. When the husband got back, his wife told him what had happened. The husband called me and I advised him to go to their office which was on the same 4th floor and demand to see the document. I advised the husband to call me and he explained the contents of the paper. I slammed the Polyculture reps and told them (1) the two men had no right to go to the apartment when the husband was away and (2) they had no right to make the wife and daughter sign a document they didn’t understand. I called them every word in the English vocabulary and I instructed my rescuer to tear the document to pieces and I wanted to see via video that it was being done. Polyculture never helped my rescuees with documentation works
I would not be surprised if Polyculture has done some real nasty things. They have taken advantage of the most vulnerable. A full investigation should be launched and they should be charged and the organization should be permanently shut down.