#ygkChallenge: Prison Farm Survey

The #ygkChallenge is an ongoing series where we dare you to be different, resolve to be better, and or do something awesome in support of our beloved community. Each week, Kingstonist establishes a new, ambitious or quirky goal, encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone and do something great, and hopefully a little out of the ordinary. By taking part in this community-wide initiative, we hope to make Kingston (and the world) a slightly better place to live, work and play.

This week’s #ygkChallenge encourages you to:

Complete the prison farm survey. The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is conducting a survey as part of a feasibility study on re-establishing agriculture and agri-food operations at six prison farms including Kingston’s Collins Bay and Joyceville Institutions. The farms were closed between 2009 and 2011 ending the prisons’ agriculture employment initiatives. While CSC continues to offer other agriculture and horticulture initiatives including community gardens, institutional gardens, and greenhouses that produce food for internal use, as well as for donation to food banks and other community food programs, these activities are not typically part of employment training programs offered at the institutions. As most will remember, many members of the Kingston community expressed concern and opposition to the closure of the farms. In light of these concerns, the Minister of Public Safety has created this survey to address the possibility of renewing viable agribusiness opportunities in the federal corrections environment. This week, we challenge you to fill out the survey and have your say. The online questionnaire will be available until August 2nd 2016 and all responses will be kept anonymous.

Join us in completing this week’s #ygkchallenge by liking it on Facebook and/or re-Tweeting it on Twitter. By liking and sharing, you’re not only committing to doing something great, but you’re also helping us spread the word and hopefully encouraging others to participate.

Thanks to Tim Ellis for today’s photo.