Group against proposed Kemptville prison holds silent march

By CityNews Staff

A coalition is standing against the province's plan to destroy farmland to build a proposed jail in Kemptville. 

Victor Lachance, a member of the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison (CAPP), told The Sam Laprade Show on Sept. 21 that the group's silent march was to highlight the irony of the province celebrating agriculture while planning to destroy farmland for a proposed jail. 

Lachance noted that if today's march was any indication of support, the waving, honking and cheers are a positive sign. 

“It's grown so that the majority of people are opposed to the prison,” he said. “I think it's because we've been able to put out the kind of information they need to make informed decisions about the prison.”

A plan previously proposed by the Ford government calls for a new 235-bed prison on heritage farmland that was the former Kemptville Agricultural College, founded in 1919.

He said after looking into the Planning Act and consulting with lawyers, CAPP has applied for a judicial review. 

“The purpose of the review is to have the Divisional Court of Ontario look at whether or not, in making this decision, the province played by its own rules,” Lachance said, adding that protecting agricultural lands is part of the provincial policy statements.

He said if the court determines that the province didn't follow the rules, it would issue a prohibition order that would stop the project. 

Listen to the full interview with Victor Lachance below: 

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