Refugees fleeing Taliban in Afghanistan facing long hotel stays in Calgary

A Calgary hotel that become a temporary home to more than 300 refugees from Afghanistan.

For many refugees fleeing Afghanistan, getting out of country last year was a matter of life and death.

“When I moved from Kabul to the airport, the airport was too dangerous because it was surrounded by the Taliban and the Canadian army was inside the airport,” said Abdul Wali Ahmadi, who now calls Calgary home.

Ahmadi is a former interpreter for the Canadian military and is now employed with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS).

“Of course the Taliban were looking for me and still they are looking.”

Ahmadi now helps new refugees at a Calgary hotel that is currently home to more than 300 refugees from Afghanistan.

Before he got permanent housing, Ahmadi and his family were in a hotel for nearly two and half months — in Toronto and Calgary — when he first arrived in Canada in August 2021.

“The length of staying in temporary accommodation is longer than usual,” said Fariborz Birjandian, chief executive officer at Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. “We don’t want to do that because that’s not good for anybody to keep them more than four or five weeks.”

He said the extended hotel stays are a result of paperwork that needs to be done before newcomers can get permanent homes.