The building at 1010 Somerset St. is no longer being considered as a possible location for Ottawa's parole office after residents protested that it is too close to homes and a school. (Kerry MacGregor/CBC)The location of a new parole office in Ottawa has been a hot topic of debate among residents over the last few months, but on Thursday night, the argument finally cooled.
Correctional Service Canada announced at a public meeting Thursday that it has found three new possible locations вЂ" and a different approach.
June Blackburn, who is with the correctional service, said all three possible sites are now near office buildings rather than residential areas.
"I'm sure that the lessons taken from this consultation process will be applied to future consultation processes," said Blackburn.
Two sites now being considered are at 340 and 360 Laurier Ave. near Bank Street . The third, preferred, site is in the federally owned Jackson Building at 122 Bank St. and 257 Slater St., at Bank and Slater streets.
The 35 residents who came out to Thursday's meeting had a far different reaction than those who attended a previous meeting about the parole office's intended move.
"They have reassured me in the sense that there's a lot less parolees going through this place than I imagined there would be," said Jason Leclair, who just bought a condo at Bank and Laurier streets.
Residents protest
When the correctional service announced in March that it was considering a move to 1010 Somerset St. in Little Italy, residents came out to a public meeting to protest.
They argued that 1010 Somerset St. was too close to homes and a neighbourhood school.
Peter Van Loan, the federal minister of public safety, agreed and ordered the correctional service to come up with alternative downtown locations вЂ" the three that are now being proposed.
The parole office currently sits at Gilmour and Elgin streets, but in September, the correctional service's lease will run out.
Blackburn said the parole office still plans to be in its new location by then.
Charles Akben-Marchand, of the Centretown Citizens' Community Association, said he's optimistic that the issue will soon be resolved.
"It's had its ups and downs, and we think at the end of the day, it looks like it's gonna be a good result," he said.
