The landmarks in question are the Kingston Penitentiary and the former Prison for Women, located directly across the street.
The Canada Lands Company and the media are working together to prepare the people of Kingston for the unthinkable --- the loss of the Pen and P4W.
1.) Demonize the Kingston Pen and the Prison for Women:
"A notorious piece of Kingston Ontario's history could soon be in for a major transformation." (From: Developer eyes Kingston's shuttered women's prison" by Kristy Nease, CBC News.)
" Kingston Pen: 7 things to know about Canada's notorious prison" by Daniel Schwartz, CBC News.
2.) Pretend that local residents actually have a voice, have any input into how the properties will be redeveloped. Preservation of KP is not an option, because Canada Lands Company is a commercial Crown corporation---their source of money is from the sale of land and buildings to real estate entities.
3.) Use mystical phrases like "visioning exercise" and "exploration illustration" to cover up what will actually happen to the Kingston Pen. Do not say:
"We will use wrecking balls to destroy an irreplaceable part of Canada's history---the guard towers, walls and buildings within the prison."
"KP is a National Historic Site of Canada that could last 4,000 years, because it was constructed with limestone and designed by world-famous architects. But we're taking it down anyway, because we want to see 25-storey condos and townhouses on the site."
"Our lawyers are working with city councillors to change zoning laws on this property, from "institutional" to "high-density residential","commercial" and "recreational".
"Your low-key Village of Portsmouth will morph into the City of Portsmouth, and there will be an increase in crime, environmental pollution, vehicle traffic, noise, a need for more infrastructure like sewers and traffic lights..." An unremitting nightmare is the real vision that awaits you, because you trusted the wrong people.
4.) Pretend that walls and buildings are being removed for the benefit of the public, not to create more space for residential towers:
"In order to create a residential community that is open, accessible and connected to the waterfront, removal of the wall and many existing buildings is required in the southern part of the former penitentiary." (Portsmouth Visioning, Page 17.)
The character of Portsmouth Village will be irrevocably changed by the presence of residential towers that block the view of Lake Ontario; by the mutation of the Prison for Women and KP; by the construction of a new road and pedestrian pathways.
Participatory democracy means that citizens have the power to veto political decisions that negatively impact the quality of their lives--- their environment, their history and habitat.
5.) Do not tell local residents that tourism will be affected by the loss of the two prisons. A preserved Penitentiary and Prison for Women offer massive opportunities for tourism. Open up the tunnel that connects the Pen and P4W, put telescopes in the guard towers, sell t-shirts and postcards that promote the city and its irreplaceable history. Line the walls with works of art painted by former prisoners. Do not deny your history...the prisons will always be part of your collective consciousness, people of Kingston.
They are magnificent symbols that you should be proud of.
Parts of the movie "Alias Grace" by Margaret Atwood were filmed at Kingston Penitentiary.,and the last scene in the first "Superman" movie.
6.) Do not tell the people of Kingston that many citizens were bitterly opposed to the Canada Lands Company:
savecfbrockcliffe - Ottawa
Save Downsview Park - Toronto
Save Upton Farm - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
S.A.V.E. Senneville as a Village Environment - Senneville, Quebec
Save the Ravenwood Farm - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Save the Garden City Lands - Richmond, British Columbia
7.) Do not mention the fact that many signs will be posted on the site: private property, access denied, no trespassing...
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