Letter to the editor Correctional Facility

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Hello Mr Clark,

I am sure there is a need for more space. I don’t think Kemptville is the right place. Kemptville is a small town without the support cities like Brockville and Ottawa have. There is no town police force to assist with transfers to and from court or hospital. You often see Brockville police at the hospital transporting people in handcuffs at all hours of the night in emergency from the prison to be assessed. We have the OPP who cover a large area, who already can take 20-30 minutes to respond if they travel a great distance. We don’t need them transferring to court or hospitals. The courts are in Ottawa and Brockville; the overflow should be closer to a city. Just think of all the wasted time and fossil fuel and man hours in just driving. That is one of the biggest complaints from people who move out here from Ottawa, the cost of fuel and time driving. They find out once they do it for a month or two. So much for reducing carbon footprint. Also, the hospital in Kemptville has less staff and services in the evenings and weekends than the city hospitals do. Or maybe increase their funding to provide any extra service the new facility may put upon them. Kemptville has no services for reintegration into society; no John Howard Society support groups for mental health. How will day parole work? You would have to drive into Ottawa, as there is nothing to do in Kemptville. Those services are in Ottawa. Since the facility will be built in a field on the edge of town, will it have well and septic, or will there be funding to upgrade Kemptville’s water and sewer to meet the needs of the new facility? And the announced name: Greater Ottawa Correctional Complex – someone in Toronto has not looked at a map. Kemptville is not part of the Greater Ottawa area. Ottawa will benefit more from this overflow facility. It’s like naming the Kemptville Hospital the Ottawa Hospital south campus. At this time, the only people seen benefitting are lawyers charging mileage to their clients for time to and from Ottawa when meeting with them out of town. Just the long term cost of gas and man hours chauffeuring should make you rethink the site.

D Lewis

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