WINDSOR, Ont. -- Council has approved rezoning for construction of a new jail site at the south end of Walker Road.
The decision was made at the end of a marathon six-hour special meeting at City Hall on Thursday night.
The motion passed by a vote of 8-2.
Councillors Ron Jones, Drew Dilkens, Fulvio Valentinis, Percy Hatfield, Alan Halberstadt, Caroline Postma, Bill Marra, and Jo-Anne Gignac voted in favour.
Councillors. Ken Lewenza Jr. and Dave Brister were the opposition votes.
"We talk about NIMBY," said Jones before the votes were taken. "Some people say it means 'Not in my back yard.' Others say 'NOW in my back yard.'"
Rezoning was the last obstacle to the controversial project, which will be located west of 8th Concession Road just north of Highway 401.
Although Jones said he was "astonished" by the lack of involvement by local MPPs, he said rezoning for the jail is the right choice.
"We do require a new facility. We have to put people to work. We have to do what is right for the City of Windsor, not just one community."
More than 40 delegations — from concerned residents to provincial representatives to a correctional officer — signed up to speak on the issue.
Residents who crammed council chambers reacted with dismay to the decision. One irate attendee clapped loudly to interrupt Halberstadt's speech.
Ward 4 resident Antun Peakovic said he was shocked by council's decisions, and called the public input process "a sham, a joke."
Peakovic said the jail will always have an "inherently negative" image, and many of his questions about the facility remain unanswered — such as whether it will serve only Windsor, or all of southwestern Ontario.
"We are the taxpayers, and yet you don't seem to care," he told the mayor and council.
Ana Peakovic, Antun's mother, called the jail a "monster."
"There are too many hidden agendas," she said. "Dwight Duncan and Sandra Pupatello have no excuse. They have turned against us."
Rob Pattison, vice-president of Infrastructure Ontario, construction is hoped to begin in the fall of 2010.
Indicated as a red zone on planning maps of the area, the site for the jail is an area of 30 acres. The main building will have a capacity of 315 inmates, but is limited to a height of no more than 14 metres.
There will be two sets of fences, including one 20 feet high topped by razor wire.
Paul Prsa of the Croatian Sports Club said the new jail will be a direct neighbour to his club's long-standing soccer facilities. He predicted that the jail will cause permanent upheaval to the club.
"Our membership is largely made up of families with young children, and in some cases, grandchildren," he said. "Quite frankly, we were there first."
Prsa alleged that the consultation process "has been largely rigged to produce a favourable outcome for the major private players in this game."
"We've been bullied by the big guy in the school yard, so to speak."
In an emotional speech, Ward 4 resident Martha Belleperche said she and others have been stressed for months by the prospect of the jail.
"We have been lied to from the beginning by (the Ontario Realty Corporation), and the provincial government."
But community supporters of the site pointed to the employment it will generate, and the need to replace the current outdated facility on Brock Street.
"This project will create a number of good-paying jobs for our members," said Rob Petroni, president of a local labourer's union. "We understand that if it gets turned down here, it will probably go somewhere else."
Paul Petroni, a correctional officer who has worked at the Brock Street jail, pointed out that the current facility is more than 80 years old, and is subject to overcrowding.
"It is time to build a new jail, and the outcome would not only benefit my members, but also Windsor," he said.
Petroni said he believes the old jail has had a positive impact on its community, which includes a nearby church, elementary school and west end businesses.
But his comments drew mocking interjections from some residents, prompting the mayor to call for decorum.
"No more outbursts," Francis said. "If there are any other outbursts, I'll ask you to leave the chambers."
Steve Small, assistant deputy minister of the Ministry of Community, Safety and Correctional Services, said a new jail in Windsor is "urgently needed."
He said there have been no escapes at any of Ontario's modern jail and correctional facilities, and no security breaches in the past decade. "Safety and security is paramount," he said.
Hugh Handy, speaking on behalf of the Ontario Realty Corporation, noted that Windsor police support the new jail's location.
"We believe it is compatible with existing and proposed land uses," Handy said. "It will be integrated into the future urban fabric."
