Kingstonist file picture of Kingston Penitentiary.
One of many landmarks most immediately recognizable to Kingston has been added to the Canada Public Lands Financial institution.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, the federal authorities introduced it had added six properties to the database, which was created partially to deal with the present housing disaster in Canada; in August 2024, Public Companies and Procurement Canada introduced the launch of the database of unused federal properties the place builders and builders can find out about potential places for the event of housing.
“We need to build more homes, faster, to get Canadians into homes that meet their needs, at prices they can afford,” PSPC mentioned in a press launch on August 25, 2024.
“Starting today, we are launching the Canada Public Land Bank, which features 56 federal properties that have been identified as being able to support housing, including 5 new properties now intended for leasing and ready for builders to submit their plans. This new list will grow regularly in the coming months, along with further details on listed properties.”
Within the announcement the federal company made to shut out January 2025, PSPC mentioned, “Everyone deserves a place to call home. However, for many across the country, home ownership and renting are out of reach due to the housing crisis Canada is facing.”
“We need to build more homes, faster, to get Canadians into homes that meet their needs, at prices they can afford,” the Authorities of Canada company mentioned, noting that as a part of the Fixing the Housing Disaster: Canada’s Housing Plan of the federal 2024 funds, the federal authorities introduced plans to construct 4 million extra properties.
“As part of this plan, the Government of Canada is identifying properties within its portfolio that have the potential for housing and is actively adding them to the Canada Public Land Bank. Wherever possible, the government will turn these properties into housing through a long-term lease, to support affordable housing and ensure public land stays public.”
To that finish, PSPC mentioned, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Companies and Procurement, introduced the six properties being added to the database. Past the Kingston Penitentiary website at 560 King Road West, the next 5 properties had been added:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia – Shannon Park –15 Iroquois Drive, Web site 2New Glasgow, Nova Scotia – New Glasgow ArmouryLévis, Quebec – 3595 Guillaume-Couture Boulevard, Jean-Charles Chapais FarmOttawa, Ontario – 1745 Alta Vista Drive, Central Heating PlantYellowknife, Northwest Territories – 5005 44 Road
“These additional properties have the potential to create approximately 1,770 units of housing for middle-class Canadians,” PSPC acknowledged, although it’s not clear if every of the properties has the potential to host 1,770 models or if that variety of models might doubtlessly be hosted throughout all six properties.
The complete press launch from PSPC will be learn on the Authorities of Canada web site.
Picture of the three properties in Kingston at the moment listed within the Canada Public Land Financial institution, which embody the St. Helen Complicated (simply east of Kingston Penitentiary) and Isabel MacNeill Home (throughout King Road West from Kingston Pen), as beforehand reported. All three properties are owned by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). Picture through Canada Public Land Financial institution.
The property itself – one in all three properties in Kingston within the Canada Public Land Financial institution (Kingstonist beforehand coated the opposite two properties) – is at the moment listed as “open for feedback.” Kingstonist reached out to PSC to search out out extra about this classification (and the others used on the database), in addition to affirmation in regards to the potential variety of models that might be created on the property, amongst different issues. Kingstonist additionally inquired about how this improvement will affect the Kingston Pen Excursions, which have served as each a tourism draw and a fundraiser for native charitable causes since 2016.
PSPC has knowledgeable Kingstonist that it’s going to not reply to the inquires posed till early subsequent week.
Kingstonist has additionally reached out to the St. Lawrence Parks Fee, the group that operates the Kingston Pen Excursions, together with different space tourism sights, similar to Fort Henry and Higher Canada Village. No response was acquired by time of publication.
The pure gentle seeping in from above a stairwell inside Kingston Penitentiary lends itself to the ominous environment of the virtually 200-year-old constructing, which was designed by one in all Kingston’s most well-known architects, William Coverdale, who additionally designed Kingston Metropolis Corridor. Photograph by Jessica Foley.
Whereas many Kingstonians turned conscious of the itemizing of Kingston Penitentiary to the federal public land database via a publish by native drone firm SkEye Stream on social media, it needs to be famous that the itemizing of the 560 King Road West property doesn’t point out that housing will probably be developed on the positioning any time quickly. Past the actual fact a developer would wish to indicate curiosity within the property earlier than then submitting potential plans for the federal authorities via a multi-stage course of, it’s been extensively documented that the positioning – Canada’s most infamous jail, which opened in 1835 – is in numerous states of disrepair and likewise contaminated with a number of hazardous points. Actually, sections of the property are additionally listed on the Federal Contaminated Websites Stock 3 times over, two of that are categorized as “high priority for action.”
Kingstonist will present additional protection of this matter as extra data turns into obtainable.
