Mayor Nancy Peckford says the Municipality of North Grenville wasn’t notified of the recent application for a Judicial Review of the proposed prison in Kemptville.
“It has been filed against the province and the process is now with the courts,” Peckford says in a statement to MyKemptvilleNow.com.
“As this is a provincial project on provincially owned lands, the Municipality is strongly committed to an open and respectful dialogue and to ensuring that there is information sharing and public engagement with our residents,” she continues. “We are also working with the province to transfer the up to 100 acres of surplus lands to the Municipality as quickly as possible to advance North Grenville’s vibrant and active agricultural community.”
The planned prison, announced August 2020, is expected to be built near the Kemptville Campus, requiring 170 acres of farmland to be paved over for construction.
Multiple protest events against the prison have been organized since its announcement, and some politicians, including Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner, have spoken out against it.
The application for a Judicial Review of the planned facility was submitted to the Divisional Court of Ontario on August 15th.
Going forward, Mayor Peckford says the municipality expects the provincial government to honour all its commitments to North Grenville in regards to the prison, including funding the entire project.