The organization Doctors Without Borders has set up a mock refugee camp at the foot of Mount Royal in Jeanne Mance park, to drive home the message about the plight of war refugees.
The makeshift refugee camp in the heart of the city aims to show people what it's like to live in crude tents and be confined to crowded spaces, with limited food.
"We can't recreate the smells or the sounds of the camp, but what were trying to do is recreate the kind of experience you'd find throughout the day," said Wendy Rhymer, a nurse from Winnipeg who works with the humanitarian organization.
The United Nations estimates there are about 42 million people around the world who have been uprooted by war or ethnic conflicts.
Many of them live in refugee camps in Central Africa, Darfur and Afghanistan.
Doctors Without Borders has 26,000 volunteers working in nearly 60 countries to respond to the medical needs of refugees.
"There's something really rewarding about going out around the world and making a difference," said Dr. Fiona Turpie, an anesthesiologist from Hamilton.
The camp at Jeanne Mance park will remain open to visitors until Sunday.
