New jail to be built between Oliver and Penticton

[Jamesie]

Yep, you nailed it Captain Awesome. This is probably one of the best posts I have read on this forum

[Captain Awesome]

But apparently Most local 'leaders' have given up that hope, because they are not trying to attract them, all they're interested in is government handouts.

You are being a bit dramatic. There's nothing wrong with supporting govt infrastructure, it's as needed as sewers in our society.

PS: Google headquarters are just 10 miles away from a federal prison. Imagine that...

[glassmaster]

PS: Google headquarters are just 10 miles away from a federal prison. Imagine that...

Did you catch this one Jamesie, Hoot & Jim .......... or did it go right over your heads?

[steven lloyd]

FYI I base my prediction on the fact that this facility will be built to meet federal maximum security standards even though it is designated a medium secure provincial facility.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Here's a fact though. Whatever standards you think this facility is being built to, the feds are not involved and would be if that facility were ever to be considered as a possible penitentiary. Ironically, the majority of the increased incarceration capacity as a result of Harper's new "get tough on crime Initiatives" will fall on the provinces. The majority of Criminal Code offences that result in prison terms result in terms of less than two years and incarceration in a provincial institution. Harper will change the Criminal Code and there will be more sentences of incarceration. The provinces will have to spend to adjust. The real irony is that in BC we spent the last ten years closing prison spaces and letting go of trained and experience staff and now we have to figure out how we’re going to pay to make up for reckless spending cuts by the previous government. Something everyone should know is that we will spend almost twice as much as any money that might have been saved. But don’t worry. We’re going to give the person responsible for this multi-million dollar tab an award for “visionary leadership”

[wanderingchef]

@Hoot

You fail to note the topic of discussion in the Article you are quoting. Go back and read it again. It clearly states that the conditions guards are facing in the prisons are a result of over-crowding and under-staffing. (So would building a new prison be a step to fixing said problems?)

I don't know what that has to do with the fact that having a facility of that size very much raises the standard of living for citizens of the surrounding communities.

I feel that you are twisting opinions and quotes from people to support your anti-prison stance.

I must state that while I am glad to see jobs and growth in the area it pains me to see that our countries laws are getting so draconian that we are needing to build more prisons to house all the "new" criminals. How do we solve that issue?

[Jamesie]

PS: Google headquarters are just 10 miles away from a federal prison. Imagine that...

Did you catch this one Jamesie, Hoot & Jim .......... or did it go right over your heads?

In a huge metropolitan area with more than 7 million people. We are again retracing our steps back to earlier parts of the discussion, when we were told that we should not worry about the impact on tourism, because Vancouver also had a prison and tourism there was doing just fine.

But let's step away from rational arguments, since these seem to be of no interest to supporters of the prison (why are they so agressively in favour? It's not like there's anything in it for them). Along that line of thinking, what has not gone over my head is that:
1. You seem to believe that federal prisons (this is a provincial one, BTW, do you have any proof that this applies to provincial prisons too) attract megacorporate headquarters
2. You seem to believe Senkulmen park stretches for 10 miles (16 kms, give or take)

[steven lloyd]

I must state that while I am glad to see jobs and growth in the area it pains me to see that our countries laws are getting so draconian that we are needing to build more prisons to house all the "new" criminals. How do we solve that issue?

Point taken, however we all need to realize it is not just a matter of our countries laws becoming more Draconian. While we are revisiting the appropriateness of incarceration for certain crimes, we have to address the fact we have not maintained prison infrastructure, and in BC’s case, we have recklessly shut down prison space and cut staffing and now have to literally spend hundreds of millions to correct the irresponsible decisions of our previous “visionary leader” (never mind the additional millions that will be required to bring Crown and Court staffing levels to a stage that can deal with the backlogs created by this government’s mismanagement) . Apart from Harper’s ill-advised approach to not modernizing drug laws (that is a misguided choice that will accrue huge and ongoing costs), most of the changes seem to make some sense. I just wish he eliminated conditional sentences, or at least set up tight and defined paramaters where a judge could deem them appropriate.

[mott.hoople]

According to the news, Oliver is already showing a economic impact from this. An extra pizza was sold Friday night!

[fluffy]

Are you sure that's prison spinoff? It might be that the editor of the Osoyoos times is afraid to eat at home for the time being.

[grammafreddy]

[twobits]

The prison is a done deal .

I am not so sure. It is going to take a few years to plan and build. Accoridng to Chief Louie this is where the negotiations start. We could have a change of heart in the government, in the local community, in the band. In fact, there could be a change in government, in community leadership, in band leadership. There could be disagreements about management, building contracts, costing, hiring practices. No way this is a done deal. Have you seen the contract? Is there even one? If there is, can we get to see it?

Shall we take this post as a signal that you are starting your next campaign against the prison so you can save the good people of Oliver from themselves? Seems to me that in the days that have past since the announcement was made, every report or comment coming from the folks down south has been positive and welcoming. You won. You kept it out of your backyard. Just let those people decide what's in their backyard themselves.

[jimsenchuk]

They should have had a referendum on this. In any community they should ask the people first in a referendum, seems logical.

[Corneliousrooster]

They should have had a referendum on this. In any community they should ask the people first in a referendum, seems logical.

Who should have had a referendum? The natives? Its on their land and was requested at their will - the right was lost to dictate what is done with their land when they were designated reserves.

There seems to be so many sour grapes with regards to this prison - our jails are over crowded and corrections has been the victim of government neglect for too long. Perhaps all these Anti prison folk should be lobbying their gov't for some legal reform with regards to rehabilitation and prevention so that the prisons are not something so appealing to our morally bankrupt citizens. Instead everyone puts on their NIMBY cap with zero solutions or alternatives. These prisons have to go somewhere ......

[Jamesie]

Shall we take this post as a signal that you are starting your next campaign against the prison so you can save the good people of Oliver from themselves? Seems to me that in the days that have past since the announcement was made, every report or comment coming from the folks down south has been positive and welcoming. You won. You kept it out of your backyard. Just let those people decide what's in their backyard themselves.

No. I have no intention to start a campaign or anything. It is not my community to be campaigning in, it's my neighbours'. But I don't see why I should not give some well-meant neighbourly advice, especially because what my neighbour does will impact me directly. Apart from that I will watch from the sidelines as things develop and comment on those developments as they, umm, develop. Congratulations on writing a post in reply to me that did not give the moderators any reason to remove!

[Jamesie]

There seems to be so many sour grapes with regards to this prison

That is true, especially with the most outspoken supporters of the prison: the Penticton Herald, Mike Pearce (who lost his council seat over the prison), Sentes, Jakubeit, the Chamber of Commerce and then a number of posters on this board. Seems they have a really hard time accepting the democratic process.