Owen Sound Mayor Deb Haswell is seeking to postpone the closure of the Owen Sound and Walkerton jails.
The request follows a meeting between Haswell and Assistant Deputy Minister of Community Safety and Correctional services, Steven Small on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, a town hall style meeting has been scheduled for April 19th at 7 PM at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound.
Haswell says a number of agencies and community groups have been invited to speak at the meeting, and invitations have also been extended to Steven Small and Minister Jim Bradley.
Haswell says the social and economic impact of closing the two facilities would be devastating for the community, and the Owen Sound facility should remain open until a new medium size jail can be built somewhere in the region.
Haswell feels there was a lack of consultation with city officials before a decison was made, and she wants a more thorough review of the process.
She adds there is also a confidentially issue stemming from the announcement of the closures, which occured before the 2011 budget was released back in March.
The next stage of the process will be a meeting on Thursday between Jim Bradley, Grey County Warden Arlene Wright, Bruce County Warden Mike Smith, Saugeen First Nation Chief Randall Kahgee and Cape Croker Acting Chief Scott Lee.
