Yesterday at Credit Union Place, the Aspen Lodge filled up for a town hall meeting on the closure of the Dauphin Correctional Centre. The meeting consisted of different people, groups, and organizations talking about how the jail closing will affect those in Dauphin and the Parkland.
When Dauphin MLA Brad Michaleski had his turn to speak, he said despite the jail closure being a tough decision, he was okay with it.
“Our focus and our promise to Manitobans was, again, to fix the finances, repair services, and ultimately grow the economy. Which is probably one of the greatest things we can do for the people of Manitoba and in terms of effecting the social outcome. So that’s a pretty strong thing. Along that way, we have to make decisions on a daily basis, on a whole host of issues.”
Michaleski says a lot of thought went into the decision and it wasn’t taken lightly. He adds that the local governments and stakeholders are having meetings with the provincial government on how the government can help.
“The decision on the jail, it’s not something you just come out and make promises and then don’t keep them. We’ve made a decision and we’re looking for ways to mitigate the effects of it. We also have a great offer from the province to help our entire region grow as a region, which ultimately helps the City of Dauphin.”
After the conclusion of the meeting, Dauphin Mayor Allen Dowhan said he was pleased by the crowd and the stories from the people and organizations being affected.
“Now, we have to see some change of policy or thinking from the provincial government. That’s all we ask.”
Deputy Reeve of the RM of Dauphin, Midge Sametz, was in agreeance with Mayor Dowhan.
“A lot of presenters brought a side to it that, maybe a lot of people had not thought about it previously, like how it affects the RCMP, what their role would be in it, just the business owners, how it’s going to affect them, they brought their perspective to things as well. I was very pleased with the presenters, they did an awesome job.”
There’s another chance to show your concern for the jail closure today at 4:30 as the MGEU is hosting a march to the jail where there’ll be a rally.
