11 days ago, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen came to Dauphin to announce the closure of the Dauphin jail.
Manitoba Liberal leader, Dougald Lamont thought the move was done in a sneaky way.
“By just putting it at the bottom of a press release, saying ‘Oh look at all these great things we’re doing and then by the way we’re going to be closing this 100-year-old facility,’ without much explanation and no plan. It’s really terrible, and right away I saw what Dauphin city council was saying. They were saying this is a terrible blow to the community, there was no consultation. In fact, just the opposite has happened, that there have been suggestions that the jail would be replaced. So yeah, I think it’s a complete betrayal of the community.”
Lamont is pleased with how broad the support is for those affected, from the Liberal Party and NDP, local communities, as well as the MGEU, Indigenous and Metis leadership, the RCMP, and economic Dauphin.
One of Lamont’s biggest concerns is how unnecessary the decision is.
