The federal government said it offered $5 million to the City of Toronto to shelter asylum seekers at the Better Living Centre during the winter.

"No one should be left outside in extreme cold weather," Mark Miller wrote on Wednesday on the social media network X, formerly Twitter.

"We have offered $5 million to partner with the City of Toronto to open the Better Living Centre at the Trade Centre to create safer spaces to protect people from the cold. This option is still on the table," said the message from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Ottawa's offer comes after a letter from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow calling on the federal government to open armories in Toronto as emergency shelters for asylum seekers during the winter.

An insufficient offer in Toronto's view...

In an email sent Wednesday evening, the mayor's office said Mr. Miller's offer was insufficient.

Toronto said it is working to open the Better Living Centre, but as part of the winter services plan for people experiencing homelessness.

Also, Ms. Chow's spokesperson, Arian Robinson, said via email: "We need additional space for this crisis." According to the mayor's office, the city needs $200 million for 2023 to cover the cost of housing about 4,000 refugees currently in the shelter system and $240 million for 2024.

In a message posted on X on Wednesday, Ms. Chow said refugees occupied 3,900 places in the city's shelter system as of November 13.

Additionally, 1,212 more refugees were cared for outside the shelter system.

This number has increased by 50% in six months.

Olivia Chow said her letter to two federal ministers, Defense Minister Bill Blair and Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajan, was also submitted to the provincial government.

The mayor said in her letter that the situation in Toronto is tragic.

Toronto is formally demanding the activation of the Fort York and Moss Park armories and urgent provision of resources and funding by the federal government to provide shelter for asylum seekers throughout the duration of the crisis.

Miller believes that armories are not an ideal place to house asylum seekers who need shelter upon arriving in Toronto.

Also, before the federal government considers opening armories, the minister said Wednesday that he would need to receive a formal request for assistance from the Ontario government, and the federal government has not yet received such a request.