Ontario man pleads guilty, turned back at New Brunswick airport over ‘miscommunication’: father

A 19-year-old has been sent back to Ontario after being denied entry to New Brunswick.

Daniel Arefi pleaded guilty Friday morning to failing to comply with New Brunswick’s emergency measures act, which is being used to implement restrictions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The presiding Moncton provincial court judge subsequently ordered Arefi to pay a $292 fine before he was sent to the Fredericton airport, where he took a return flight to Toronto Friday afternoon.

Hossein Arefi, Daniel Arefi’s father, said it was a “miscommunication” because his son told airport officials he was here to visit, when he was actually intending to move to Moncton to live with family after losing his job as a barber in Toronto.

As a result, Daniel’s trip was deemed to be unnecessary travel.

“I rented an apartment for him to be self-isolated here in Moncton for two weeks, and he was prepared for that,” Hossein said.

Instead, Daniel was told to self-isolate in a hotel for several days until a flight back to Toronto. But when he declined, he was taken into custody, his father said

“There are some other types of tragedies, I know, but I can call this a tragedy,” Hossein told Global News.

“They handcuffed my son in front of me — about 15 metres between me and him — after three months that I didn’t see him because of COVID-19.”

2:02 COVID-19 continues to impact Canadian travel

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said he’s waiting to learn more details about the case, which he called “a most unfortunate situation.”

He said no one has been rejected for moving to the province, but the tightened border restrictions are in place to keep New Brunswickers safe.

“If the verification was there that the individual was actually moving from Toronto and moving here to live with his parents, or had an address to live here and that was the plan, I’m sure that we could work through that,” he said.

Wayne MacKay, a Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law professor emeritus, said it can be challenging to keep up with changing orders and rules.

“The ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’ still applies,” he tells Global News. “It’s really important that people make an effort to find out what the rules are before they  travel or try to enter the province and I think that may be the larger lesson here.”

Hossein said this is only the beginning, and that he’s determined to get his son to New Brunswick safely.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.