The Moose Jaw Multicultural Council is looking back on a hectic, yet rewarding year.

At this time last year they were preparing for an influx of Syrian refugees as part of the federal settlement program. The first family arrived in January, and within a few months that number grew to 21 families, 118 people in total.

The Multicultural Council was charged with settling the families in Moose Jaw and Executive Director Stefanie Palmer says a higher-than-normal vacancy rate in the city was a blessing when it came to finding housing for the newcomers.

"The stars aligned at this time last year and we had a great partnership with Moose Jaw housing." said Palmer. "They had a bunch of places that had recently opened up and that has made the process that much easier for us."

Palmer says their annual target of government-assisted refugees is 50-60 but this year they settled 157 newcomers.