MP calls government communication on quarantine “absolute failure”

CORNWALL, Ontario – Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MP Eric Duncan expressed his dissatisfaction with how the federal government communicated with the public in regards to the upcoming quarantine at the Nav Centre.

““I am very disappointed in the federal government for the lack of proactive communication that the NAV Centre in Cornwall will serve as a covid-19 quarantine site,” Duncan said in a statement. “This has been an absolute failure from a communication and public relations perspective. Frankly, the residents of the City of Cornwall deserve much better from their federal government. There were several meetings, briefings and calls throughout Sunday February 16th, none of which I was invited to participate in. I was only contacted by email last night.”

Duncan said that on Monday, Feb. 17, Family Day, he was given an opportunity to talk to federal representatives and press them with his questions and concerns.

“I was able to question the reasoning of selecting the NAV Centre for a quarantine zone over other options and express my frustration and disappointment of the communication with myself, City Administration and Council, and the general public,” he said. “They provided their reasoning for the selection of the NAV Centre and the safety protocols they will follow in the coming weeks. I encouraged them to share this information publicly immediately. I was able to echo the same type of questions and feedback Mayor Clement has heard from the community. The simple fact that the Mayor, City administration, or local Member of Parliament were not advised or briefed before the announcement is unacceptable and has unnecessarily created concerns among many local residents.”