Residents of Kemptville, south of Ottawa, are taking their fight against plans to build a jail on farmland to court.
Earlier this week, Victor Lachance and Kirk Albert sought a judicial review of Ontario’s proposal to build a 235-bed correctional facility in the city of 4,000 people, about 50 kilometers south of Canada’s capital, in part to alleviate overcrowding at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Center. .
The land slated for the Eastern Ontario Correctional Complex, due to open in 2027, is the site of a former agricultural college. Before the province tagged it for the jail site in 2020, plans were underway to use it for recreational and agricultural purposes.
Opponents argue that the province cannot afford to pave more farmland at a time when it is losing an average of 300 acres a day to development. Some residents also object to the jail being so close to the small town, saying there is no adequate infrastructure to handle the influx of inmates.
Lachance, member of the group Proposed Anti-Prison Coalition and one of the residents who filed the request for judicial review said in a statement that the province refused to “meaningfully consult and provide adequate information to North Grenville residents about its prison plan.”
“How can the province justify its cavalier approach of destroying farmland and farm buildings for a prison that no one asked for and experts argue we don’t need?” he said.
Lachance and Albert contend that the province’s decision violates obligations under provincial law to protect farmland and consult with local governments.
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“By violating these explicit obligations, the minister overstepped the authority conferred by the legislature,” argued Coalition Against the Proposed Prison. “The decision to build on the proposed site is therefore illegal.”
Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for new Attorney General Michael Kerzner, said in an emailed statement that the ministry cannot provide any details about a court case.
“The Attorney General looks forward to continuing to engage with residents, city and ministry partners on this important topic,” Jensen wrote.
Earlier this week, Victor Lachance and Kirk Albert sought a judicial review of Ontario’s proposal to build a 235-bed correctional facility in the city of 4,000, in part to alleviate overcrowding at the Ottawa-Carleton detention facility. . #ONpoli
Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner supported opponents of the prison, saying there is no point in paving more farmland and called on the government to shift funding from the criminal justice system to mental health services.
“Ontario needs policies and programs that drive progress toward healthier, more sustainable communities that care for their most vulnerable members,” Schreiner said in a statement. “Paving prime farmland to build a prison is the exact opposite of that.”
The ministry has 30 days to respond.