KINGSTON, Ont. — Canada’s most notorious prison will once again open its doors to the public this summer, almost three years after it formally closed.
Visitors will be able to tour the historic Kingston Penitentiary – which has held serial killers, rapists and bank robbers — from June 14 to Oct. 29 as part of a new arrangement between the eastern Ontario city and the provincial and federal governments.
Proceeds from the tours will be split between the United Way charity and local tourism marketing efforts.
READ MORE: Inside Kingston Penitentiary: tours sold out within hours
The Pen, as it is often called, ceased to operate as a federal prison in the fall of 2013.
WATCH: Global National’s Shirlee Engel takes a tour inside the Kingston Pen. (Oct 2, 2013)
It opened for public tours for a few weeks the following year, also as a fundraiser for United Way. Tickets were snapped up quickly.
Kingston municipal staff say there has been a push for more tours while officials and consultants work out more permanent plans for the facility.
“This is an amazing opportunity for our city, the region and the country,” Kingston’s mayor, Bryan Paterson, said in a statement.
“We know there is tremendous interest in this site and our hope is to get even more people from across the country and internationally to come to Kingston to see this historic site.”
The tours will be run by the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, which has hired a public safety engineering firm to review the site.
Tours will be conducted in English, though the city says “as many tour guides as possible” will be bilingual.
The facility is partially accessible and reasonable steps will be taken to ensure full accessibility along the route.
Since its opening in June 1835, the prison some have dubbed Canada’s Alcatraz has been home to an ongoing roster of the country’s worst criminals.
READ MORE: Inquest scheduled in death of inmate at Kingston Penitentiary
In recent times, the list includes serial child killer Clifford Olson; Paul Bernardo, who raped and killed two schoolgirls; and Mohammad Shafia, who helped drown his three teenaged daughters.
The facility was shuttered because the federal government said it was outdated and too expensive to run.
Last year, the city announced it would partner with Correctional Service Canada and other departments to overhaul the former prison as well as the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. The process is set to begin before the summer.
-by Paola Loriggio in Toronto
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