Syrian refugees spend first night in Canada

It was a very late night at Pearson Airport as the first government aircraft carrying refugees from Syria arrived around 11:30 pm.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne teamed up to help hand out winter gear to some of the 163 privately sponsored refugees arriving on the government plane, which arrived two hours later than originally planned.

Earlier, Trudeau thanked staff and volunteers for their efforts to make a good first impression.

After getting their warm clothing and necessary documents at Pearson, the first group of refugees was bussed over to a nearby hotel to finish off a very long day of traveling.

Their flight left Beirut around 8 am our time yesterday.

After sleeping in the hotel this morning, most of this group will move on to various locations around Toronto, with four coming to Hamilton.

A second flight is set to arrive in Montreal tomorrow as part of the government’s pledge to welcome 25-thousand refugees by the end of February.