Two Kemptville, Ont. residents file judicial review of proposed jail
A proposed correctional facility in Kemptville, Ont. has some residents concerned about how it might change the look of their small town and they are taking steps to prevent it from happening.
Two residents of the small town just south of Ottawa, Kirk Albert of the Jail Opposition Group and Victor Lachance of the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison, have filed a judicial review to stop the jail from being built.
“All we’ve asked for right from the start is, ‘What is the process, and did you follow it?’” says Albert. “Public safety has not been one of the primary drivers in this. It really has been mostly about the inconsistencies, the lack of consultation, the lack of information, for fundamentally basic things.”
They say many residents, community organisations and agri-food groups have been frustrated, saying there has been no meaningful consultation about the prison plan.
The Office of the Solicitor General says in a statement, “The proposed correctional complex will be the most modern and efficient facility in the province, and will have a special focus on rehabilitation.”
Residents were told that this jail could bring roughly 500 jobs to the area. Albert disagrees.
“Most correctional staff that are already working at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre would simply be transferred to the Kemptville site,” says Albert. “Therefore, very few net new job opportunities.”
Lachance says the area doesn’t meet criteria for a new jail, but the mayor says it does.
“I can confirm that, from a zoning perspective, the proposed use of the site for a correctional facility is permitted, which is ‘institutional’. We are taking every opportunity to ensure an open dialogue with the community with respect to information sharing and public engagement,” says North Grenville mayor Nancy Peckford.
“They did not even follow their own policy statements, which is why we have brought this application for judicial review,” says Lachance. “So the tribunal can agree with us and issue a prohibition order.”
The groups against the prison say they just want to make sure the land is used as it was initially intended.
“We save the farmland and we go back to using it the way the municipality envisioned using it as part its tourism strategy, an equine centre, community gardens, possibly a research centre,” says Lachance, “which was in the works.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.