Ottawa prepares for the winter at the temporary camp Lacolle

Phtoo courtesy
The tents erected by the canadian army in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle could be replaced by trailers like these, the business Solution Modular School, which would like to land the contract from the canada border services Agency.

Olivier Charbonneau

Friday, 1 September 2017, 11:01

UPDATE
Friday, 1 September 2017 20:07

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OTTAWA | Laundry, a medical clinic, a living area, sleeping quarters and bathrooms ; the government of Canada will install in the next few weeks an encampment of “trailers hivernisées” in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle which can accommodate up to 200 migrants.

The Agency of Canada border services (CBSA) has published late Thursday evening, a call for submissions of project. It reserves the right by following the law to make a settlement of otc with the chosen supplier.

Some companies have already signaled their interest, including Modular School, which installed a similar complex at the Institute of cardiology of Montreal.

The suppliers must also prepare ” the site “), which includes the installation of perimeter fences and lighting.

The CBSA imposes a tight deadline to meet contractors who wish to bid on. These have the long weekend to Labour day weekend to provide technical specifications, and should then be able to install the units in six weeks.

It plans to keep the trailers in place for nine months, ” with the possibility of extension periods “.

Anticipate

Entrepreneurs with which The Newspaper press release stress that this is not a usual process.

“When the government requests letters of interest, it is to have more flexibility in the time and in the form,” said Simon Bouchard, vice-president of Solution Modular School.

The minister of Transport, canada, Marc Garneau, responds to the actions of the Trudeau government to the Quebec border since the summer, said Friday that this facility is anticipated ” as a precaution “.

“Any responsible government must try to anticipate every eventuality and that is what we are doing. “

The minister has not specified the cost of such facilities.

The union of Customs and Immigration was not aware of the steps taken by the government.

Its president, Jean-Pierre Fortin, would have preferred that the government moved the camp to another site more functional as a military base, where there would be enough room for housing and processing applications.

For its part, the CBSA has not specified exactly where will be installed the future camp trailer, or if the tents of the canadian army will be disassembled.

Camp empty

The customs Lacolle has seen a lull since the beginning of the week. Approximately 100 to 150 files of asylum-seekers have been treated every day on average since Monday, as the processing capacity of 200.

This has made sure to empty the tents of Lacolle. No migrant there spent the night Thursday night.

— With the collaboration of Boris Proulx