Although the jails in Owen Sound and Walkerton are closed and the workers have moved-on, Bruce-Grey Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker continues his fight.
Walker says the McGuinty government still hasn’t released the numbers that justify both closures — and it doesn’t look like he will stop asking until they do.
The Progressive Conservative MPP notes that Former Minister Jim Bradley said moving inmates to the Central Correctional Facility in Penetanguishene would save the province four million dollars.
However, according to a Ministry letter obtained by Walker, the OPP Transport Unit will be paid $2.30 per kilometre to transport prisoners from Owen Sound to Penetanguishene.
Walker says it’s exactly what he feared, increased costs footed by the local community.
Walker says any decision to kill off 200 well-paying jobs and $6 million in combined area payrolls without a trace of local consultation deserves more than this.
Walker says he’s made repeated requests to obtain cost-benefit analysis documents from Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur.
He add’s that frankly “this looks to be more about politics than bureaucracy.”
