School boards weigh in on correctional facility

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There has been a lot of discussion online, in the community, and in this newspaper about the planned Correctional Facility in Kemptville that the provincial government announced at the end of August.

While the idea of having a correctional facility in North Grenville does not sit well with many, one of residents’ main concerns is the location of the jail, across from two schools and a daycare on the Kemptville Campus. Superintendent of Schools for the Conseil des Écoles Catholiques du Centre Est (CECCE), Marc Bertrand, says the location of the correctional facility, across the street from their school Académie Catholique Notre Dame, is a cause for concern for both the administration and parents of their school community. That being said, he noted that, at this point, there are no plans to change the location of the school. “The CECCE intends to voice its concerns through a proper consultation process with the community,” he wrote in an email to the Times. “The safety and wellbeing of our students and personnel remains our top priority.”

The communications department at the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO) says they are also concerned about the location of the correctional facility due to its proximity to their school, École publique Rivière Rideau. The CEPEO says they will be working closely with the Office of the Solicitor General of Ontario, the Municipality of North Grenville, other concerned school boards and community organizations in the region, to ensure that the project is fully in line with the safety and well-being of their students and staff. “The health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff is the CEPEO’s priority,” they wrote in an email to the Times.

Like many community organizations and residents, it seems that the school boards on the Kemptville Campus are waiting for the promised public consultation, slated to happen this Fall. Although no announcement has been made about the timing or process of this consultation, Steve Clark’s office has stated that more information should be available in the coming weeks.

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