The City of Kingston and the loss of Corrections Canada properties.

Eleven Kingston Penitentiary buildings are slated for demolition, and the Prison for Women will be converted into student housing, high end condos on the top floor and commercial businesses on the ground floor. The large green space encompassing the nearby Training Centre on Union Street may be the focus of residential housing. I lived in Kingston during the 1960's and early 1970's, and it fills me with despair when I see what is happening to a beautiful, unique, historic city. Local politicians have no vision, they are on the wrong side of history, they cannot comprehend how much damage they are inflicting on the community.
A Cautionary Tale  
I lived in Toronto, Ontario 40 years ago and during the summer I spent a lot of time at the waterfront because I did not have air conditioning in my stifling Parkdale living space and I enjoyed being outdoors. There were miles and miles of green spaces, trees, playgrounds, beaches that were staffed by lifeguards, pavilions, picnic areas with tables and hibachis, horse trails...I saw people riding horses.
Everything is gone now. The Toronto waterfront now resembles Hong Kong. I have no desire to visit Toronto or Vancouver because they are concrete jungles.
     In 1972 the government of Pierre Trudeau created a Crown corporation called "Harbourfront". Harbourfront was established to revitalize 100 acres of waterfront land in Toronto, to turn the former CPR and CNR railway lands into green space and cultural attractions. The Crown corporation now owns 10 acres of land, because most of the land was taken over by condominium builders. Political leaders and many other people halted the demolition of Union Station, the Windsor Station in Montreal, Summerhill Station in North Toronto and the Conference Centre in Ottawa.

From the Globe and Mail newspaper.

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Many politicians, historical societies, tourism agencies and ordinary citizens are opposed any destruction of Kingston Penitentiary. The Big House or The Pen has dominated the waterfront for almost 200 years---if left alone, the Pen will define the skyline thousands of years from now, because it was created with limestone. The limestone Great Pyramid of Giza is 4,000 years old.
The Kingston Pen, Prison for Women, Isabel MacNeill Halfway House and Penitentiary Museum cannot be replaced. People from all over the world will not visit Kingston Ontario so they can see commemorative plaques or photographs of these buildings.

The former Warden's House, now the Penitentiary Museum, ca 1900. The photo was sent to me by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office in Gatineau, Quebec.