Ontario Greens support opposition calls to halt proposed Kemptville prison

August 15, 2022

TORONTO — Ontario Greens leader and Guelph MPP, Mike Schreiner, has again called on the Ford government to cancel plans for a new provincial prison in Kemptville that will pave over 170 acres of heritage farmland.

“I call on the government to listen to local residents who are going to court seeking a prohibition order that will stop construction of the proposed prison,” said Schreiner.

The project makes no sense for several reasons:

Food security: At a time when grocery bills are going through the roof and people are worried about putting food on the table, we should be protecting the farmland that feeds us.

Healthy communities: Rates of mental illness are four to seven times higher in prisons than in the community. One solution is to address the real problem and shift funding away from the criminal justice system to mental health care services.

Logistics: As a small town with limited community services and infrastructure like transit, roads and hospitals, critics have noted that Kemptville does not even meet the site criteria for a new prison.

“Ontario needs policies and programs that drive progress towards more healthy and sustainable communities that take care of their most vulnerable members. Paving over prime farmland to build a prison is the exact opposite of that,” said Schriener.

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