The plan to reopen the Brantford jail is one small step closer to reality. The province said it will be exploring the possibility as part of its $3 billion commitment to expand capacity in the correctional system. The Brantford jail was built in the 1850s. When it was shuttered in 2017, staff and inmates were moved to other facilities. Brantford-Brant MP Will Bouma described the closure as a big blow to the community. In May 2026, the province announced its plan to create more than 2,500 new correctional beds over the next decade. Reopening the Brantford jail was one of the options being considered. It could house up to 125 inmates. “This investment will help ensure correctional institutions can keep pace with tougher bail and sentencing laws while helping protect communities and providing frontline correctional staff with the facilities, resources and personnel they need to do their jobs safely,” a media release said. Bouma told CTV News in May he believed the jail could reopen by 2028.
