After months of effort to reverse the decision of the Conservative Government to close the Dauphin Jail, the jail is still closing. Dauphin Mayor Allen Dowhan still isn’t happy with the closure.
“It’s a sad day for Dauphin. We tried every effort in trying to convince the government to not do this. The closing has caused a lot of angst within the community and it’s a sad day for Dauphin.”
Since the announcement, Dowhan met with Justice Minister Cliff Cullen, the City of Dauphin held a town hall meeting, Dowhan had a meeting with Premier Pallister, the MGEU hosted rallies in Dauphin and Winnipeg, the city offered 1 million dollars to refurbish the jail, the coalition group was formed, they had a meeting with Minister Cullen, and nothing worked.
One thing that pleases the mayor is how much effort the community put in to try to reverse the decision.
“It shows the citizens’ love of their community and they knew the economic benefits and also the need for such a facility in this area. I can’t say enough for their efforts in helping to lobby against the closing of the jail.”
Dowhan says moving forward they’ll work diligently with any group that wants to lobby the government to see the error in their ways and decision, adding that they’ll work closely with anyone who wants to do that.
Dauphin MLA, Brad Michaleski says the closure is a disappointment.
“It’s a disappointment to have anything close in Dauphin. It’s not something that I’ve ever wanted in the time that I was MLA. I’m looking to help the region grow in a positive way and across the entire region including the City of Dauphin. So no, is not an easy one, but again, I’m not going to stop my advocating for the broader growth that I see across the region, the potential that’s there and I’ll continue to advocate like I have been for the past four years.”
