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About Us

We are group of Kemptville, Ontario residents opposed to the provincial government's proposed plan for a new 235-bed prison within our town (part of the Municipality of North Grenville). Without any consultation or warning, the Government of Ontario announced plans to build this facility - the "Greater Ottawa Correctional Complex", later renamed the "Eastern Ontario Correctional Complex" on a unique parcel of farmland in Kemptville as part of an ill-conceived strategy to expand jail capacity across the eastern Ontario region.

Sustaining Our Future Together

We recognize that there are many groups and individuals with varied reasons for supporting a positive vision of Kemptville and the future of other communities adversely affected by incarceration, and we, therefore, oppose the proposed prison. Our goal is to provide a collective platform for a concerted effort to “Sustain Our Future Together” and promote the goodwill that can be generated when we work together to ensure a healthy future for our community.  

 

Not only are we opposed to a new prison being built in Kemptville, we are opposed to any new prison construction in Ontario because we recognize that imprisonment is a costly and ineffective approach to enhancing community well-being and safety.  There are better alternatives that are under-funded and under-utilized to provide community safety.

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We believe Kemptville’s future lies in opportunities for positive economic growth,
supporting local business development, promoting tourism, celebrating its history, and
championing the natural beauty in and around our town and municipality.

Losing Kemptville's Character and Its Vision for the Future

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.

Standing up for our community

CAPP is committed to supporting the voices of opposition against plans to build the proposed "Eastern Ontario Correctional Complex" and shedding light on the facts.  We are also standing up for people pushed to the margins of society, such as people with mental health or drug issues, who need compassion and care, not cages.

They Paved Paradise
(And Put up a Jail)

The land to be used represents an important component of our agricultural and farming heritage. Already identified opportunities for innovative and visionary uses for the property, in keeping with its natural features and historical significance, will be lost forever should this plan proceed. Opportunities for land back to the Algonquin peoples, who are the traditional custodians of the land, will also be forever lost.  We all deserve better.

Please visit our issues page to learn about the many reasons people are concerned about this plan.

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