An Answer to Those Who Say We Should Build Schools, Not Prisons

You never know when a prison might become a school.

We’ve previously reported in this blog about the space crunch among Ontario colleges. Apparently, the crunch at Queen’s University has forced it to take extraordinary measures.

In January, Queen’s, in Kingston, Ontario, will take over the former site of a federal prison for women — an eight-acre site that will help with the university’s space problems. The prison operated from 1934 until it closed in 2000. The former prison’s administrative building and cell block are historic structures and will be preserved. However, the secured bunker and all other buildings will be demolished, along with three of the four stone security walls. (One of the walls is a “buffer” between the site and a nearby community, according to the press release.)

A newspaper report says that tax records assess the site’s value at $5.2-million, but officials would not say how much the university paid. —Karen Birchard and Scott Carlson