Rally to be held in Kemptville to protest the Ford government’s plan for new prison

The Coalition Against the Proposed Prison (CAPP) and the Jail Opposition Group (JOG) are gearing up for a rally set to take place on June 4.

The rally is in protest of the construction a new 235-bed prison on heritage farmland in Kemptville, a plan previously proposed by the Ford government. 

The event begins at 11:30 a.m. and is being held on the grounds of the former Kemptville Agricultural College, the site of the proposed provincial prison located at the intersection of College Street.

“For nearly two years, we've simply been trying to establish the facts regarding how Kemptville was selected for this proposed prison,” Kirk Albert, spokesperson for JOG, said in a release. “Concerned residents have filed numerous Freedom of Information requests to seek the facts and their requests have been repeatedly stalled or denied by the province… the level of secrecy surrounding this site selection process is unprecedented.”

The organizers of the rally are calling for a stop to these types of projects that they believe will do great harm to the province and its residents.

“The government needs to release the hidden records on the selection of this site,” said Victor Lachance, a member of CAPP. “Beyond full transparency, they also need to meaningfully consult with constituents in Kemptville, the region, and across the province on a better way to use farmland and build safer communities.”

The rally will feature a performance by the Raging Grannies, as well as speeches from a broad range of opponents to prison construction and farmland destruction.

The plan for the new prison was initially proposed to help address overcrowding at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.