Collins Bay Institution (french: Établissement de Collins Bay) is a multilevel correctional facility in Kingston,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, and falls under the supervision of Correctional Services of Canada. The facility was opened in 1930, and is now the oldest operational federal penitentiary in Ontario. The main prison is

medium security A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

, with a

minimum security A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

facility (formerly Frontenac Institution) residing on the same property. A 96-bed

maximum security Maximum Security may refer to: * Supermax, "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons * Maximum Security (comics), a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics * ''Maximum Security'' (Tony MacAlpine album), 1987 * ''Maximum Security'' ...

unit is also operational.

History

Collins Bay Institution was opened in 1930 under the name "Preferred Class Penitentiary (Ontario)" to accommodate the growing number of inmates in the Ontario region. Inmates from

Kingston Penitentiary Kingston Penitentiary (known locally as KP and Kingston Pen) is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, between King Street West and Lake Ontario. History Constructed from 1833 to 1834, and opened on June 1, 1 ...

, only 2 km away, assisted in the construction of the new prison. The facility was built to further the government strategy of creating a graduated tier of penalties, that placed offenders in levels of security corresponding to the crime. The main building (A-1) was built in the Canadian Chateau style, and has steeply pitched red metal roofing.

Dormers A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...

are symmetrically placed across the front and rear, with pointed towers at the corners. The center tower is much taller than the others, with a

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

on top. Local

Kingston Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toron ...

residents have opted to informally call this structure "Disneyland North", due to its castle-like resemblance. Collins Bay Institution has a long history of violence, and unrest. "The Bay" or "CBI" has the moniker of "Gladiator School", in reference to frequent deadly clashes between inmates.

Living units

The first living unit (cell block B-1 built in 1932) was a rectangular, two-story structure. It consists of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, and has a

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...

. It has half-circle windows on the outer walls, and cell enclosures confined to the centre of the building. It was the first building erected within the walls of the prison, and signified a permanency to local residents. A further 3 similar cell blocks were constructed over the next 20 years (B-2, B-3 and B-4). The blocks were referenced as "1 Block, 2 Block, 3 Block & 4 Block" by staff and inmates. As of 2014, there are 32 buildings within Collins Bay Institution. The structure of the B-1 building remains standing and is recognized as a federal historic building. Buildings 6-9, which are of a hub-and-spoke design, were added in 2008, and Building 11 in 2014. Building 11 is a 3500 sq. m. maximum security unit that can accommodate the overflow of inmates after the

closed in 2013.

Notable residents

* Daniel Chi-Kwong Wong, conspirator in the murder of Bich-Ha Pan and attempted murder of Hann Pan masterminded by

Jennifer Pan Jennifer Pan (born June 17, 1986) is a Vietnamese Canadian woman who was convicted of a 2010 kill-for-hire attack targeting both of her parents, murdering her mother and injuring her father. The crime took place at the Pan residence in Union ...

Grimaldi, Jeremy. '' A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story''.

Dundurn Books Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in print, ...

, November 12, 2016. , 9781459735255 p
312
"Daniel Wong is being held in Collins Bay ..The jail is sometimes referred to as "Disneyland North" ..

References

{{Authority control Prisons in Ontario Buildings and structures in Kingston, Ontario Correctional Service of Canada institutions 1930 establishments in Ontario West Yard is a truth to power evidenced based biography published 27 October 2021. Author Dave Woodhouse. West Yard reports on the internal machinations of the Correctional Service of Canada and specifically Collins Bay Institution during the 1980s and 1990s. ISBN 978-1-7777220-0-5.