Public Works and Government Services Canada has confirmed that 116 Albert St. is no longer being considered as a possible relocation site for the Ottawa District Parole Office.
The prospective site was the only option being pursued by Public Works and the Correctional Service of Canada, which will now have to look elsewhere to find the parole office a new home.
“It’s not the first time that properties have withdrawn or become unavailable,” says CSC spokesperson Holly Knowles.
But there is little evidence to suggest the site was ever available for the parole office in the first place.
“The site was never withdrawn from consideration because it was never really formally submitted,” says Mike Shore, a representative from Metcalfe Realty Company Ltd., which owns and manages the building.
Shore says Public Works requested information about the site, but no offer was put forward and no negotiations ever took place.
He says there was no plan to house the parole office inside the building.
This development is a significant setback in the relocation process.
According to Public Works spokesperson Nathalie Bétoté Akwa, there are a number of lengthy procedures that must be followed before a move is possible.
Akwa says the CSC must first identify a new site and carry out an independent consultation process.
Public Works must also perform a separate set of evaluations, including a building inspection and an environmental assessment, before a lease can even be negotiated.
Once a lease agreement is in place, Akwa says it will take eight to 10 months to refurbish the space, further delaying a possible relocation.
“At this point it is premature to indicate when the move will take place,” says Akwa.
According to Knowles the CSC and Public Works are working together to secure a new location for the parole office. She hopes it can be accomplished by the promised deadline of September 2009.
However, in the event a new space cannot be found, Knowles acknowledges the possibility that the parole office could stay put.
“Clearly we need to function until we can find a new location,” she says. “So yes, we would be staying at the current location until we can secure a new space.”
The existing home of the Ottawa parole office at 191 Gilmour St. has been a source of public controversy since it opened in 2004.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says the parole office is too close to Elgin Street Public School, and should be moved into Ottawa’s central business district.
Holmes says a failure to meet the promised relocation date would be very unfortunate.
Albert Galpin has two daughters attending Elgin Street Public School and is co-chair of the school’s parent council. He expects the parole office to be gone by the planned date.
“Public Safety made a promise to move the parole office by September 2009 and we have every expectation they will honour that commitment,” Galpin says.
Knowles says it wasn’t a conscious decision to place the parole office near a school.
“It was a suitable location at the time that met the needs of the office and the offenders that were going to be supervised,” she says.
Don Wadel is the executive director of Ottawa’s John Howard Society. His organization operates three adult residences in the Centretown community that house former federal prisoners, many of whom are under the supervision of the Ottawa parole office.
Wadel says the current location is good and doesn’t pose any risk to the community.
“The office is quite accessible. It’s only a few doors from the police station and just down the road from the courthouse.” he says.
Wadel thinks the public outcry has been very limited, and says it’s based on misconceptions that parolees will be hanging around.
Holmes says concerned residents should continue to pressure Public Works and push for a move.