Cold winter: Quebec intends to disburse $ 400,000 for the dress its refugees

Pascal Dugas Drone

Wednesday, 13 December 2017 04:00

UPDATE
Wednesday, 13 December 2017 04:00

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QUEBEC | Toques, jackets, boots : Quebec plans to order nearly $ 400,000 of new clothing to ensure that refugees are supported by the québec State to survive the cold of winter.

For the year 2017-2018, Québec has planned to purchase more than 1 500 pairs of boots, 900 coats and 1,000 pairs of gloves, told QMI Agency. The same amount of “optional” could be commissioned the following year.

This is the first time since 2009 that the government’s responsibility to acquire winter clothing for the refugees. Before this winter, the task was entrusted to the YMCA, which received a government subsidy to do so.

The ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI) has obviously provided for the purchase of articles of different sizes, as well as clothing for men, women and children.

The ministry will be “about an order by week”, but they could be “more frequently” when “of mass arrivals of refugees to the public”, one can read in the call for tenders by the government.

“These items are given when the refugees supported by the State come to the airport in the winter period, because they do not have clothes appropriate for the climate,” said Chantal Bouchard, a spokesperson for the Immigration department.

Some 800 refugees supported by the State were to receive these items between October 15, 2017 April 15, 2018.

Higher costs

The award of the contract, managed by the Centre de services partagés du Québec, has, however, experienced some issues.

A first call for tender had to be canceled after the amount offered by the lowest bidder (405 000 $), was “much superior” to the budget established by the department of Immigration.

The Ministry then agreed to rerun the tender, but the best proposal was only 4 % less expensive than the previous (388 000 $). The department has resolved to award the contract at this price.

For the two tenders, the company Beaumarché, Montreal was the lowest bidder and was awarded the contract on the 27th of November last.

The refugees supported by the State are selected overseas and then admitted to the Quebec, most of them because they were victims of persecution or violence in their own countries.

Other items ordered by the ministry (including the amount optional 2018-2019)

• 2 970 toque
• 1 800 scarves
• 1 300 hide-and-neck
• 680 pairs of cotton stockings
• 200 snow suits for babies