HALIFAX -- The provincial governments in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are getting ready to welcome thousands of refugees from Syria, but senior cabinet ministers in both provinces say they're waiting for more information from the federal government, which has pledged to accept 25,000 refugees by the end of year.
Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab says it will likely be next week before specific numbers and financial aid are allotted to the provinces.
She said she spoke Friday with federal counterpart John McCallum, who said a conference call with immigration ministers would provide more details.
Meanwhile, she said Nova Scotia is talking with immigration support groups and the Red Cross.
"What is really important for Nova Scotia is that we do this in a safe, co-ordinated and integrated manner," she said. "Settlement, housing, language. People will need interpretation and we will need to assess . . . what credentials or education they have."
Diab said it's not known whether there will be a single entrance point in Nova Scotia, but she said all options are being considered, including the use of military bases.
In New Brunswick, Labour Minister Francine Landry said the province has told McCallum it was creating an inter-departmental committee to organize the arrival of the refugees.
Landry said there would also be co-ordination with immigrant settlement agencies and other groups throughout the province.
"We're also trying to identify speakers of the Arabic language so that we have resources when they come in," said Landry.
Landry said if the refugees were to arrive at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, south of Fredericton, they would be screened for health problems and provided with food and clothing before resettlement.
She estimated New Brunswick could handle as many as 1,500 refugees.
