Chili Cook-Off! Fundraiser for the Coalition Against the Proposed Pr*son

Join us for our Chili Cook-Off fundraiser on Thursday, May 23 at 6:00pm at the Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St. You're in for a night of delicious chili and friendly competition, all in support of the fight to stop the Ford government's planned Kemptville Pr*son.

Chili dishes made by various Ottawa-area community groups will compete head to head as you taste and vote for your favourite! Enjoy some food, tunes, and conversation at this fun social evening. All proceeds go towards fighting the proposed Pr*son in Kemptville. Let's come together to make a difference and have a spicy good time!

Cash bar will be available.

Standard ticket: $25 (+ applicable fees)

Student and low/no income price: $15 (includes fees)

Tickets include entrance to the event and unlimited chili tasting! Eventbrite fees will apply to online standard tickets. Tickets may also be purchased at the door per availability.

In August 2020, the Ford government announced a plan to build a new 235-bed correctional facility on the farmlands of the old Agricultural College in Kemptville, Ontario. This site is prime agricultural land, and to pave it over for a Pr*son would be a great loss for the surrounding community and a sad contribution to the hundreds of acres of farmland that is lost every day in Ontario.

The proposed Pr*son plan is littered with concerns around infrastructure costs, limited community supports available for incarcerated persons, and a blatant lack of transparency and meaningful consultation throughout the project. A key supporter and player in pushing the Pr*son plan through was area MPP and former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark, who has since been forced to resign for his violations of the Members’ Integrity Act in relation to a similar process of destroying Greenbelt lands for development.

Ontario is suffering a broken bail and remand system in which the majority of prisoners in its institutions are merely in pretrial, awaiting their day in court. The provincial government has promised repeatedly to reduce the remand prisoner population, admitting that much of this population can be safely released. Instead, they commit hundreds of millions of dollars to expanding Ontario's J*il capacity to keep the incarcerated population growing and growing. Prisons across Ontario see inequitable outcomes for our most marginalized communities and do not provide adequate solutions for issues of mental health, addiction, and poverty.

In August 2022, after two years of fighting this issue on several fronts, two Kemptville residents launched a David vs Goliath court battle in the form of a judicial review, arguing that the Ford government had violated their own planning rules in ramming the project through without consultation with our community or municipal council. The Judicial Review challenges the legality of the government’s decision and seeks a Prohibition Order that will stop the construction of the proposed Pr*son. The public interest litigants are currently working to appeal a recent decision by the court to dismiss their case - read more about the court's decision and the subsequent appeal.

We continue to fundraise to cover the legal fees of the judicial review and to continue applying pressure to the Ontario government on this issue in any way that we can. We greatly appreciate your support!

The Coalition Against the Proposed Pr*son (CAPP) has been fighting the Ontario government’s plan since it was publicly announced in August 2020. The Ford government’s scheme to pave over farmland and lock up more people (especially poor, Black, Indigenous, and other racialized persons, community members experiencing poverty/mental health/drug use issues, and homelessness), and its flagrant and ongoing anti-democratic actions have all driven our cause. We believe the hundreds of millions of dollars, currently earmarked for the project, are better invested in supports and services that actually enhance community health, well-being, and safety.

Learn more and stay up to date at cappkemptville.ca.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

95 Clegg St, 95 Clegg Street, Ottawa, Canada