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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.