Ontario’s solicitor general says plans are in the works to reopen the Brantford jail which closed at the end of 2017. At the time, staff along with 77 inmates were moved to other correctional facilities. Solicitor General Michael Kerzner held a press conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the province’s expansion of jail beds, promising 2,500 more beds in the next decade. He said the plan would also include reopening jails in Brantford and Walkerton. “We are already conducting feasibility studies,” Kerzner said. Kerzner did not reveal any more specifics about the plan for Brantford during the press conference. The Member of Provincial Parliament for Brantford-Brant Will Bouma said he believes the goal is to have it reopened in 2028. “I’m quite excited for the community,” he told CTV News. “The province needs more prison capacity and by being able to refurbish the Brantford jail, we can do so at a reasonable cost.” He said losing the Brantford jail was a big blow to the community. “Prison transfers, waiting for court hearings. [They] had to sit in vans until they could be seen, instead of being held in holding cells at the jail,” he said. ”Then also for people who were serving two years less a day, they couldn’t be housed here. And they went on to a bigger prison where there was more overcrowding.” Community members said reopening the facility would be a good move. “I think it’s great because we’ve got so many people, and the court systems just don’t know where to put them,” said Kim Oliver, a Brantford resident. Bouma said more information on the future plans for the Brantford jail will be released soon.
