Kingston’s two prison farms at Collins Bay and Joyceville could be open by next spring.
But before that happens, those who helped bring back the cows and the prison farms celebrated at the site of many of their protests on Monday evening.
Well over 100 people showed up in the shadow of the Collins Bay Institution on Monday night to reflect on how the dedication to their cause finally paid off.
Jeff Peters with the “Save Our Prison Farms” group was at Collins Bay on Monday.
“If you want to fight and if you can keep up the fight and if you have a group of committed, tenacious … followers, you can win and democracy will prevail if you can last long enough.”
It was earlier this year that the federal liberals re-instated the prison farm program, and the prisons will be home to both dairy cows and goats.
Get breaking National news
The former Harper government shuttered the initiative back in 2009, sparking an outcry from the public — and the creation of “Save Our Prison Farms.”
Shaun Shannon, a former inmate, was a part of the program while at the Collins Bay, and he was also part of the program to get the cows back. He says he was impressed with the turn-out on Monday.
“It’s amazing. These are regular people (who) have jobs and work hard all day long and they believe that this program works,” Shannon said. “If it wasn’t for these people, this program would not be getting back.”
Those on hand also got a chance to see a couple of direct offspring from the former prison herd.
Comments