The lead settlement agency for government-sponsored refugees in Edmonton could help three times as many refugees in the next six weeks as it normally helps in an entire year.

Catholic Social Services (CSS) staff were expected to meet with federal officials Friday, one day after Immigration Minister John McCallum said that 25,000 Syrians will be resettled in Canada by Dec. 31 — a key part of the Liberals’ election platform.

“If Edmonton were to get the same proportion of refugees as in the past, we’d get between 1,400 to 1,500. That’s about three times as many in six weeks as we usually get in a year,” said Alice Colak, vice-president of immigration and settlement services for CSS in Edmonton.

But Colak still doesn’t know how the refugee resettlement will play out. She doesn’t know if the refugees will arrive over a span of days or weeks, or whether they will be initially housed at CFB Edmonton or in hotels or in the CSS resettlement house (which has a capacity of 50 people).

The non-profit group is currently writing contingency plans for its work.

“All of this hinges on what the government decides, and how they’re coming,” Colak said.

Of the 7,000 government-sponsored refugees who arrive in Canada each year, approximately 400 come to Edmonton, Colak said.

About 20 people work in the refugee division at CSS in Edmonton, but Colak estimates another 10 to 15 staff will be needed if more than 1,000 Syrians arrive en masse.