Asylum seekers arriving in Canada from the United States are now being housed in Cornwall.
A 300-room temporary shelter is being set up at Cornwall’s NAV Centre to temporarily host asylum seekers after they cross the border.
Cornwall Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy tells CTV News approximately 400 to 500 people will be housed at the facility.
The RCMP announced Thursday almost 7,000 asylum seekers have been intercepted at the Quebec-U.S. border since Canada Day. The vast majority of asylum seekers are Haitians.
The RCMP’s Claude Castonguay says an average of 200 and 250 people a day have been crossing the border.
O’Shaughnessy says negotiations between the Federal Government and NAV Canada to use the NAV Centre to house asylum seekers lasted about a week.
Cornwall’s Mayor says more information will be released today to inform residents about the situation.
