Sanctuary Health in the News


October 19: Some members of Sanctuary Health took a photo to participate in the Non Cooperation Campaign, hosted by Montreal's Health Justice Collective!




August 3, 2012: Vancouver group plans to hold bi-weekly vigils against refugee health-care cuts. Georgia Straight.

BC doctors, nurses protest refugee health cuts The Tyee, June 18, 2013 


Sense of Place with Minelle Mahtani Interview about the New Westminster Sanctuary Schools Policy (Roundhouse Radio, March 2017)

New Westminster sanctuary schools policy aims to reduce immigrants’ fears (CBC News, March 2017)

VIDEO: No plans yet for other B.C. districts to declare sanctuary schools for refugees (The Surrey Now, March 2017)


Sense of Place with Minelle Mahtani Interview with Sarah St John of Sanctuary Health (Roundhouse Radio, January 2017) Sarah St John discusses Sanctuary Cities and Canadian immigration policy.

Canada’s sanctuary cities offer some protection, but benefits are limited (Yahoo, February 2017) An interview with Byron Cruz about what Canadian Sanctuary Cities are and aren’t doing.

'We had to run': Refugees walking across B.C. border in fear of U.S. crackdown (Vancouver Sun, February 2017)

Afraid of deportation under Trump, refugees brave the cold, escape to B.C. (Vancouver Metro, February 2017)

B.C. feels impact of proposed U.S. travel ban as refugees cross over (Global News, February 2017)

New Westminster schools may soon become sanctuaries for undocumented children (CBC News, February 2017)

More B.C. education boards vote to advance ‘sanctuary’ schools (Metro Vancouver, February 2017)

‘Ministry could issue a very clear directive to school districts’: immigration lawyer (Metro Vancouver, December 2016)

New West schools ponder policy to enrol undocumented kids (Metro Vancouver, December 2016)
‘It just seems unfair': Langley kids booted from school over mom in citizenship 'limbo' (Metro Vancouver, December 2016)

Get ready for Trump refugees, Vancouver (Metro Vancouver, November 2016)

 B.C. promises to fix MSP-application process to ensure children of migrants get coverage (The Province, November 2016)

 Kids of B.C. families with precarious immigration status face health-care hurdles (The Province, October 2016)

Status: Inside Vancouver’s Sanctuary Movement (The Tyee, July 2014) A seven part series examining the possibility of the declaration of a sanctuary city in Vancouver.

Sanctuary City Movement Builds Migrant Justice with Solidarity (teleSUR, March 2015) Analysis of the Sanctuary City movement in Toronto and Vancouver.

Status: Inside Vancouver’s Sanctuary Movement (Georgia Straight, December 2015) New information about Fraser Health referrals to CBSA as well as an update on the status of Sanctuary City commitments from Transit Police and the City of Vancouver.

Sanctuary City from Below: dismantling the City of Vancouver (The Mainlander, June 2014) A column detailing how the lessons of Sanctuary City movements are that: declarations of sanctuary by municipal governments are only meaningful if they are accompanied by clear implementation strategies and accountability mechanisms; victories must be defended by our communities to prevent them from being rolled back; our political power lies in challenging, not appealing to, power; and zones of sanctuary are actively constituted not by politicians but by us – as service providers, educators, healthcare professionals, and neighbours – on the basis of solidarity and mutual aid.

Making Vancouver a Sanctuary City: An Interview With Shireen Soofi (CKUT, July 2014) There has been a recent a push trying to make Vancouver the next sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants in North America. This policy would prevent Vancouver police and city employees from reporting an individual’s legal status to the Canada border service agency, unless that person was suspected of a crime. CKUT’s Ali Dutrut and Jehane Yazami spoke with Shireen Soofi, a member of the No One is Illegal collective based in Vancouver.

Sanctuary City: Easing fear or false hope? (Vancouver Sun, August 2014) An article on the responses of municipal and federal political parties to the sanctuary city movement in Vancouver.

Health Care and Immigration Policies that Kill (Briarpatch Magazine, March 2015) An article on the consequences of immigration policies for health care and the need for Sanctuary City policies.

Pregnant in limbo: How vulnerable women pay for Canada's universal health care (CBC, March 2015) Day 6's radio documentary featuring the stories of three uninsured pregnant women in Canada.

Vancouver Council Supports “Sanctuary” for Undocumented Migrants (The Tyee, May 2014) A report on the sanctuary city movement, and the possibility of Vancouver Council making an active declaration.

Transit Police willing to discuss ID checks that could lead to deportation (Georgia Straight, July 2014) An examination of the role Transit Police could play in the creation of a “sanctuary city” policy.

Immigrant Groups Say Legislation Reforms Reveal Racist Government Agenda (The Mainlander, August 2014) A press release from a network of immigrant and refugee groups urging city councils to ensure that every resident of the city feels included and safe by refusing to participate in the federal government’s enforcement agenda.

Mainlander Radio Interview with Alejandra Lopez Bravo (Co-op Radio, November 2014) A discussion about Sanctuary Health and the Sanctuary City Movement (Interview starts at 46:51).

Injured migrants fear being reported to CBSA by hospitals (The Vancouver Sun, December 2014) A report on how people without legal status in Canada are increasingly afraid to go to hospitals for fear of being reported to the Canada Border Services Agency.

Border Services ramping up arrests, advocates say (The Vancouver Sun, December 2014) Comments from community groups including Sanctuary Health on the rise of arrests from Border Services.

B.C. and Manitoba Settlement Agencies Suffer Under New Control (New Canadian Media 360°, April 2015) An article detailing the challenges created by the federal government's seizure of control of settlement agencies.