An e-mail complaining about the amount of money paid to refugees by government has been circulating around P.E.I. recently.

'Animosity is pretty much the same as racism.'— Kevin Arsenault, P.E.I. Newcomers Association

The e-mail is based on a letter published in the Toronto Star, and has been going around the internet since 2004. While the Star has refuted the e-mail, Kevin Arsenault of the P.E.I. Newcomers Association says damage is still being done.

"It creates a community that starts off with an attitude of animosity, and animosity is pretty much the same as racism," said Arsenault.

The e-mail claims refugees in Canada get more money from the federal government than Canadian pensioners do. Don't apply for your old age pension, says the e-mail, apply to be a refugee and make twice the money.

Kevin Arsenault of the Newcomers Association said the claim is false. Refugees receive the same allowance as people on social assistance, which is well below the poverty line.

"A single person in P.E.I. who's a refugee would get from the federal government, for just one year, $585 a month," said Arsenault.

"On top of that, what people have to understand is that refugees come with nothing. They're fleeing."

In addition to arriving empty-handed, refugees land with debts owed to the federal government for transportation to this country. Setup costs, such as the deposit for electricity service, are also provided in the form of a loan.

Arsenault said anybody who gets the e-mail should send it back with the correct information. The Canadian Council of Refugees has put up a web page correcting the false information in the e-mail.