School trustee welcomes jail

JAMES MILLER The Okanagan Sunday 2011-01-09
 Former federal cabinet minister Tom Siddon of Kaleden thinks the town just down the highway from his could be a great place to build a jail in the Okanagan.  "From my experience of growing up in a small Prairie town that was running out of gas and oil, the federal institution was a big boom to that community and continues to be," said Siddon, who was born and raised in Drumheller, Alta., site of the Drumheller Institution.  The medium-security federal prison can hold almost 600 inmates.  In December, B.C. Solicitor General Rich Coleman reaffirmed the province‘s desire to build a new jail somewhere in the Okanagan to ease pressure at overburdened facilities in Kamloops and elsewhere, giving rise to debate in the region over where to put it.  Leaders in Summerland and Lake Country have gone on record saying they don‘t want the jail, while Lumby‘s mayor has said his community would welcome it.

Penticton city council is set to discuss the issue at its meeting on Monday. On Thursday, Coun. Mike Pearce said council should explore the possibility of locating the jail in that city because of the economic benefits it would bring.  Siddon served in cabinet with the Conservative government from 1984 to 1993. He‘s currently a trustee with the Okanagan Skaha School District.  He notes the South Okanagan already is home to organizations such as Discovery House in Penticton and the John Howard Society, which attempt to rehabilitate convicts.  Siddon suggests Okanagan Falls - not far from his home - and Summerland as potential sites for the proposed jail, noting it would hold only prisoners awaiting trial or serving short sentences. It wouldn‘t house serial killers.  Siddon says the social issues that go with a prison are limited. He points out the police presence in a prison community is heightened. He remembers being on alert as a youngster when an inmate escaped, but says he can‘t recall a convict taking refuge in a house and holding a family captive during his years in Drumheller.  "A prison added an entirely new dimension to the community of Drumheller," said Siddon. "Drumheller is well known for the dinosaur industry, but the prison has done more to stabilize the economy there than all of the tourism, farming, oil and gas put together."  Siddon notes numerous prison guards were elected to town council in Drumheller and that the current mayor, Terry Yeman, is a retired guard.  "People in places like Drumheller are more enlightened to the challenges of dealing with incarceration and rehabilitation," he said. "They have a greater appreciation of these challenges."My parents lived across the street from a courthouse. We knew the family and friends of offenders."