The Government's plan would see the new Kemptville facility house all Ottawa and area sentenced provincial prisoners, as well as an undefined number of imprisoned people on remand displaced from their communities and loved ones.  Our small town does not even have public transit to and from Ottawa, which will mean greater isolation for imprisoned people, along with greater economic costs and other challenges for their families. 
 

Ottawa has a population of well over 1,000,000 people and was recently cited as one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. Kemptville’s current population is 250 times smaller than Ottawa’s (about 4,000 people) and simply does not have the infrastructure to accommodate the proposed prison. Kemptville’s unique character and small-town charm, as well as the vision for its future, will not be sustainable should this proposed prison be built.
 

Proponents of the prison have made dubious and disproven claims about the economic benefits of the project. We swiftly reject the idea that human caging is an effective or appropriate economic development strategy. In fact, imprisonment is a drain on the economy, diverting much needed funds from things that actually enhance community well-being and safety like investments in education, youth mentorship and leadership training, permanent and supportive housing, harm reduction and voluntary drug treatment programs, and mental health counselling.