The barracks are being clearned at CFB Kingston for Nov 30 to make room for Syrian refugees that are to be arriving in about a week.
The orders have been given to military personnel according to reports of a memo although it is not known where military personnel will be resettled at this time.
The notice comes just two days after Minister of Immigration and Refugees John McCallum confirmed that the government’s plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 is moving forward. McCallum said the move is being done quickly but in line with proper security and health measures and that is is “the right thing to do.”
Several bases across the country are gearing up to host the newcomers, with a maximum capacity of about 12,000 Syrian refugees according to reports and it has been suggested that Cornwall, Ont. and Trois-Rivières, Que. are also possible sites for temporary accommodation for the refugees.
In the past, military bases have been used to house newcomers to Canada. In 1999, 5,000 refugees from Kosovo were divided between two military bases: CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia and CFB Trenton in Ontario.
