Military-style tents set up in a Brockville industrial park drawing plenty of attention

Some military-style tents set up in Brockville had people talking. But the city’s mayor, Jason Baker, says “not to worry”.

“This is much to do about nothing,” Baker said.

“We do have a company in town called Weatherhaven who manufacture military tents.”

1:27 Coronavirus outbreak: Central Park turns into tent hospital for COVID-19 patients in New York City

And that’s what people are seeing: a number of tents set up in a west-end industrial park. The British Columbia-based company tells Global News that it has a contract with the federal government to provide mobile care units in the fight against COVID-19 and the setup is a test simulation.

And while the federal government may be preparing for the worst case scenario when it comes to the pandemic, Brockville’s mayor is hopeful we won’t ever need a makeshift facility like this one.

“We see in bigger centres and certainly down in the states how hospitals are erecting large things and whether this is a future opportunity for this company, who knows?” Baker said.

“On one hand, as a resident, we hope we never get to that, and on the other hand, as a mayor, we’re hoping businesses in town are successful and so we wish them well with their endeavours. We’re glad they’re here and we’re glad they’re a part of our community, but this one is easily explained.”

The company say the exercise does not include any military personnel, or real COVID-19 patients, nor is it intended to be a functioning field hospital.

1:57 City of Brockville encourages residents to support local businesses