Is the fight to relocate the Gilmour Street parole office over? The activists and parents who have been fighting for a year to move the office away from Elgin Street Public School might be dismayed to learn the answer could very well be yes.
The office opened last fall to considerable outrage from parents, politicians and others who demanded it be moved because they feared for the safety of their children.
Various politicians pledged their support – including Ottawa Centre NDP MP Ed Broadbent, Mayor Bob Chiarelli and Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes.
Citizens mobilized, forming Residents Against Government Encroachment (RAGE), holding demonstrations and gathering signatures for petitions.
Angry letters were dispatched, such as the one sent to Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan asking her to change the location. But she passed the buck, a spokesperson from her office saying it is a decision for the Correctional Service of Canada, not the minister.
In the meantime, the agency’s district director, Ana Paquette, has indicated repeatedly the office would not be moved. True to her word, it still neighbours the school — and the chances of it being relocated grow less likely every day.
Even though a few diehard activists are not giving up, local politicians who were so eager to jump on the bandwagon a year ago, seem to have lost interest. At least nothing has been heard from them publicly about the issue for months. Particularly disappointing has been the performance of Mr. Broadbent, who, beyond writing a few letters early on, has accomplished very little.
If they have given up, isn’t it time that the likes of Mr. Broadbent, Mr. Chiarelli and Ms. Holmes admit defeat and tell parents to give up as well? Many have spent, and continue to spend, considerable time working on the issue: if their efforts are in vain, they deserve to know.
A particularly dedicated parent, Albert Galpin, whose children attend the school, recently discovered the office is only 80 metres from the building, not the required 200 m government regulations state.
Galpin discovered this blatant breach of regulations after an Access to Information request, a usually lengthy and tedious process.
If they were so concerned, why didn’t our elected representatives find this earlier? Because they stopped looking.The location of the office was a poor choice then and nothing has changed.
Corrections Canada probably realizes it made a mistake placing it so close to the school, but it is unlikely, after spending a year defending the decision, it will now admit it was wrong.
Moving the office is the best solution, but this probably isn’t going to happen. Mr. Broadbent and Ms. Holmes should tell the parents the truth — that they have lost the battle.
They deserve that at least.
— Anna Piekarski