The event will include a panel discussion from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with experts and representatives of frontline organizations.

Staff and volunteers from more than two dozen refugee-serving organizations will be available in Jean Pigott Hall to answer questions from the public on resettlement and integration.

The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and the University of Ottawa Refugee Sponsorship Support Program will also host a legal clinic from 7 to 9 p.m. for residents interested in sponsorship.

There have since been several other community meetings in Ottawa to discuss the refugee sponsorship process.

On September 12, around 60 people attended an information session presented by Ottawa immigration lawyer Jamie Liew at the St. Anthony Soccer Club in Little Italy.

Kitchissippi Ward councillor Jeff Leiper held a similar meeting on September 17 at the Hintonburg Community Centre.

Panelists at tonight's event will include: Louisa Taylor, a communications consultant and former journalist; Don Smith, chair of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa's Refugee Working Group; Jennifer Bond, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law; Nadine Nasir, a trainer with the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program; and Lucila Spigelblatt, deputy executive director of the Catholic Centre for Immigrants.

Watson says Ottawa residents are eager to help Syrian refugees. “They are not saying that we should stay on the sidelines; they’ve been asking by email, by phone and in person, ‘How can I help?’”

The mayor says Louisa Taylor will announce the creation of Refugee 613, similar to Lifeline Syria in Toronto. Refugee 613 will coordinate the efforts of refugee-serving organizations across the city to bring Syrian refugees to Ottawa.

After leaving the podium, Mayor Watson returns to the microphone, visibly shaken, to announce the death of Max Keeping.

Watson says Keeping would have been "very proud" of everyone gathered at tonight's event and asks the audience to observe a moment of silence.

Louisa Taylor, a former journalist who covered the immigration beat and who has long been involved with Ottawa's immigrant settlement community, is now announcing the creation of Refugee 613.

The organization will serve as a "one-stop shop," coordinating the activities of all refugee sponsorship and support organizations in the city.

Taylor says refugee-serving organizations have been overwhelmed by questions from the public, reflecting a huge increase in refugee resettlement across the city. Refugee 613 will allow these organizations to focus on their day-to-day work to get Syrians and other refugees to Canada, while allowing members of the public to obtain answers more quickly to their questions.

More information is available on the organization's website: refugee613.ca.

"Who are we not to step up (to help Syrian refugees)," Taylor asks.

The next speaker, Husam Abbas, is a recent refugee from Iraq, sponsored by the Anglican Church.

Abbas was targeted by al-Qaeda for his work in 2005 with the American army in Baghdad.

Abbas says he is here today to repay the favour to Syrians, who welcomed him with open arms when he fled there from Iraq.

Smith provides an overview of the different types of private sponsorship.

Sponsorships referred by Citizenship and Immigration Canada are much easier to process than those where sponsors identify the refugee(s) they wish to resettle, says Smith.

He urges those interested in sponsoring a refugee to consider both forms of sponsorship.

Picking up on Bond's remarks, Nasir explains that the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program exists to help people navigate the sponsorship process.

Sponsors must typically support refugees for a period of one year, says Nasir.

This support includes proving basic income assistance, helping refugees to find a home, helping them to register their children in school, providing support to find employment and ensuring that new refugees are connected to local settlement organizations.

An audience member asks whether the city plans to resettle a specific number of refugees, as former Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar did in 1979 by committing to take 4,000 Indochinese boat people through Project 4000. Incidentally, Ottawa came very close to meeting that goal, resettling close to 3,800 Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian refugees.

Watson responds that there is no set number for now; rather, he is aiming to support the many grassroots efforts already underway. He has also had productive conversations with the provincial government regarding potential funding for the Refugee 613 initiative.

Louisa Taylor adds that the settlement sector was not nearly as established back in 1979 as it now.

Taylor argues that these organizations have real expertise and are best placed to play a leadership role, though the mayor's support in facilitating resettlement efforts is invaluable.

Another audience member asks about processing timelines.

Nasir responds that Syrians are being processed more quickly than other refugees, typically in a matter of several months. Some cases can arrive in Canada within one to four months, she says.

Lucila Spigelblatt, deputy executive director at the Catholic Centre for Immigrants, says that community organizations can expedite the process by ensuring they are actually ready to welcome refugees.

There are still dozens of people in the council chambers and a much larger crowd in Jean Pigott Hall, where community organizations have setup booths to inform the public of the services they offer.