Premier Jason Kenney is calling for more federal openness after a Red Deer man was whisked away after landing at the Calgary airport by officials who considered his prior COVID test inadequate.
sa国际传媒淲e understand the need for quarantine requirements, but ask that federal agencies be more transparent,sa国际传媒� Kenney tweeted Monday evening.
The premier was reacting to complains of returning travellers being detained in isolation while their families are left in the dark about whatsa国际传媒檚 happening.
This scenario unfolded for a 20-year-old Red Deer man last weekend. His mother, Rebekah McDonald, posted a tearful video on Facebook and YouTube recounting the upsetting experience at Calgary airport.
McDonald said before she could fully greet her son, Ethan sa国际传媒� whom she hadnsa国际传媒檛 seen for two years as he had been living in Arizona sa国际传媒� he was loaded into a van by masked strangers, who refused to disclose to the family where they were taking him, or when his parents could talk to him.
McDonald said she was told: sa国际传媒渟a国际传媒榃e are taking him for an undisclosed amount of time to an undisclosed place, where he will be tested and we will decide when hesa国际传媒檚 released.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淚t seemed that nobody had any answers for me and nobody would clarify anythingsa国际传媒� That was really scary, and very confrontation.sa国际传媒�
McDonald was also told authorities didnsa国际传媒檛 need consent to take Ethan into isolation. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 freaked out that this is totally legal,sa国际传媒� she added.
The family later learned the COVID test her son had done in the U.S. wasnsa国际传媒檛 the correct one and he needed to be retested.
According to the Canadian government website, a molecular polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is needed.
McDonald said she tried to comply with re-entry rules when booking Ethansa国际传媒檚 test, but due to sa国际传媒渉uman error,sa国际传媒� her son got the wrong kind of testing in Arizona.
sa国际传媒淲e werensa国际传媒檛 trying to be irresponsible in any mannersa国际传媒� What we were met with was the most crazy, tyrannical experience. It was almost surreal, and complete unacceptable.sa国际传媒�
While McDonaldsa国际传媒檚 son is home now, having tested negative for the virus again, she remains angry sa国际传媒� especially after hearing this has happened to other people.
sa国际传媒淭here are better ways to treat each other,sa国际传媒� McDonald said. sa国际传媒淧eople fought long and hard for our freedoms and this feels really wrong.sa国际传媒�
At Mondaysa国际传媒檚 Red Deer city council meeting, Coun. Vesna Higham expressed concern about what the family went through.
If a second COVID test was needed, the family would have understood if the reasons were explained in a respectful manner, said Higham.
She urged for better communications between federal authorities and returning travellers, saying there was no need to hide from the family where Ethan was being taken and for how long.
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Premier Kenney tweeted a similar sentiment, saying sa国际传媒淧eople entering Canada have an obligation to inform themselves about and comply with testing and quarantine requirements. But federal agencies sa国际传媒� could avoid a lot of anger and confusion if they were more transparent about where people will be staying, etc..sa国际传媒�
Red Deer South MLA Jason Stephan said in an opinion piece to the Advocate that the kind of treatment the Red Deer family experienced was sa国际传媒渦naccountably heavy-handedsa国际传媒� and suggested it encroaches on the freedoms Canadians are guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
(With files from Susan Zielinksi)
