Local OPSEU President Jerry Hope came before Walkerton Town Council along with several of Walkerton Jail staff to discuss several issues surrounding the proposed closing of the jail.
Hope said there would be several repercussions should the jail close including the actual costs of closing jail, loss of revenue, job losses in the area, the cost of transporting inmates to other non-local jails and the loss of the ‘Weekend Program’ for those serving intermittent sentences.
It is estimated that with the job losses, $3.5 million in salaries will also be gone that will result in a huge economic impact in the Walkerton area. In addition, the jail also services Goderich (approximately one hour away) and Kincardine (40 minutes away).
“I’m here asking for your (council) assistance,” said Hope. “There will be no savings in closing these jails.” [referring to Walkerton, Owen Sound and Sarnia] He went on to say that he felt the jails were “in a good state of repair” and questioned the Province’s decision.
A petition will begin to be circulated through the municipality to keep the Walkerton jail open.
Council held a meeting with Deputy Minister Steve Small on April 15th at 9:00am to discuss the Walkerton jail closure, which is set to happen the end of the year.
