The following letter was sent to local resident, Ron Patterson, in response to his letter to Steve Clark regarding the proposed prison for Kemptville. It contains more detail than we have heard up to now, and refutes some of the rumours that have been circulating.
Good afternoon,
Mr. Patterson.
Thank you very much for your email and inquiry to MPP Clark regarding the new correctional facility announced for North Grenville. You are correct with regard to the 180-acre parcel of provincially owned land on which the facility will be built. However, please understand that there will be a robust public consultation process before any shovels go into the ground.
The site was chosen after an extensive review by the Ministry of the Solicitor General as part of the government’s modernization strategy for the corrections and justice system in Eastern Ontario. The Kemptville location is part of the province’s surplus property inventory. Building the complex on this site provides good value for taxpayers as it avoids the need to purchase privately owned land elsewhere.
The facility would have inmates over the age of 18 who fall under the following: Those serving sentences under two years. Those on remand awaiting trial or sentencing. Those being held for an immigration hearing or deportation.
This is not a maximum security institution, as that is a designation in the federal prison system for inmates serving lengthy sentences after being convicted of the most serious offences. As a modern, publicly run correctional facility staffed by the finest corrections officers anywhere, security will be stringent.
As MPP Clark has stated, in the design, construction and operation of this state-of-the-art facility, the safety of residents and staff will be his top priority. Finally, with regard to the Burritt’s Rapids site, as I mentioned above, the government conducted a thorough search and determined the location announced was the most appropriate. Thank you again for taking the time to write and MPP Clark looks forward to the public consultation process, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks by the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
