Local politicians and health officials are contemplating other uses for the Owen Sound and Walkerton Jails if it turns out they cannot be saved.
Grey County Warden Arlene Wright suggests the Walkerton Jail could be transformed into a drug rehab centre.
Wright told the Grey Bruce board of health at its meeting on Friday that up to 80 per cent of local inmates have some form of addiction.
Wright says it might make sense to funnel these people into a rehab setting rather than the penal system.
And Wright notes since crystal meth a big problem in Southern Bruce and Grey Counties, perhaps the Walkerton Jail would be the perfect location for such a centre.
She points out the province has already spent a great deal of money on refurbishments to the facility, so it would be a shame to see that money go to waste by closing it entirely.
Wright also notes that local inmates who do need treatment for addictions are not going to receive the treatment they need if they’re forced out of their community and sent to a larger jail in Penetanguishene.
Wright says the top priority remains trying to keep the jails open and functioning as is.
Grey County still has not been officially notified of a closing date for the Owen Sound Jail, which it owns and leases to the province, so there remains a glimmer of hope that the facility can remain open.
She says the hope is that the proposed jail closures will become an issue in the provincial election on October 6th.
It’s possible that a change in government will result in a change of plans for the local jails.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak has said that if he is elected premier, the jail closures will not happen without a full review of the issue.
