The federal government will unveil details of its Syrian refugee plan next Tuesday.
Many communities are already getting ready to accept their share of the 25 thousand people coming here.
The Canadian government will bring in 900 Syrian refugees every day.
The first are expected to arrive starting December 1st.
Every refugee will undergo security screening by CSIS officials, who will use finger prints to identify potential threats. The city of Cornwall could soon play host to hundreds of those Syrian refugees.
Speculation is many of those arriving in the coming weeks will be housed at a large facility in the seaway town. The Nav Centre is a huge hotel and convention complex in Cornwall with a history of helping those in need. It may soon be called upon to do just that again.
The Nav Centre is a sprawling complex boasting 550 guest rooms and 70 thousand square feet of conference space. Whether it will indeed soon be home to hundreds of Syrian refugees; well mum's the word.
‘Nav Canada has not declared they will be a centre for refugees at this point in time,’ says Leslie O'Shaughnessy, the mayor of Cornwall.
No one from the Nav Centre would talk on camera or confirm speculation that the facility may soon host some of the refugees but Cornwall's mayor did admit the government has had preliminary discussions with his staff. And he says the Nav Centre would be a perfect fit.
‘The Nav Centre is experienced in dealing with situations like this,’ says O’Shaughnessy, ‘we knew it would be on the radar.’
For three years now, the Nav Centre has housed hundreds of evacuees from the Kashechewan reserve in Northern Ontario when residents there were flooded out of their homes.
They have stayed at the Nav Centre for upwards of 6 weeks, with the centre providing care, with about a days' notice to some 500 people, including 250 kids.
The centre is the largest hotel and convention complex in eastern Ontario, built originally in 1979 for
Transport Canada as a training centre for air traffic controllers. Nav Canada privatized and split from the government in 1996. The facility has a food and beverage contractor on-site capable of providing Halal meals if need be. For some of the guests currently staying there, the Syrian refugees, they say, would be welcomed with open arms.
‘We are ready,’ says Cornwall area resident Zhiping Kovinich, ‘we can take some. I don't see that as a big problem.’
‘If they behave themselves,’ adds Barbara Thomas, ‘I think it would be okay, but not too many.’
Marjorie Hanson, who is staying at the Nav Centre with her quilting group adds, ‘I think it’s a good idea. We are Canadian. We do things like that.’
The challenge, says Cornwall's mayor will be providing medical care. The city's hospital is not large and clearly other provisions would have to be made.
