Honorable Ross Landry
MLA Pictou Centre
Attorney General and Minister of Justice
Dear Mr. Minister:
RE: Regional Correctional Facility
We are writing to you to formally express our support for the development of the proposed Regional Correctional Facility for Northern Nova Scotia in Pictou County.
We believe our community strongly meets any objective criteria for the location of this facility.
The facility will service the counties of Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough and Richmond. Pictou County is the geographic centre of this 200-mile catchment area from Amherst to Arichat, approximately 100 miles from either centre. Our central location provides the Province the best opportunity to capitalize on operational cost efficiencies related to the transportation of accused persons by Deputy Sheriffs from the correctional facility to the courts throughout the region.
Pictou County has numerous potential sites for the facility with quick and easy highway access to 100 series highways.
We are also the home to very busy provincial and Supreme Court systems and their related institutional infrastructure.
Pictou County also can provide the institutional support for this facility with our strong local health care, addiction services and educational systems.
The development and operation of this facility will have a significant economic impact on the community in which it is located. The potential benefit of a $31-million dollar construction project in Pictou County speaks for itself.
Of greater long term importance is the much needed boost the 110 jobs associated with the facility would provide our community. These jobs would represent an annual infusion of approximately $4 million into our economy.
In the past 30 months Pictou County has experienced a number of significant job losses as a result of the shutdown of TrentonWorks and ICT Group, as well as the downsizing of Aliant. The addition of 110 new jobs in Pictou County would significantly alleviate the losses our community has recently experienced and would reinforce the commitment of the Province of Nova Scotia to Pictou County.
We will be pleased to assist in this initiative in any way we can. Our Executive Director, Faus Johnson, will be in contact with you to determine how we can help.
Thank you for your consideration.
Board of Directors
Pictou County Chamber of Commerce