HALIFAX,NS—Dalhousie’s Killam Memorial Library has been repurposed as Canada’s newest maximum security prison. The library–which was expected to be closed for nine months–was only out of operation for three days before reopening.
“We were kind of shocked at how easy it was to transform the Killam into a correctional facility” says warden Elliot Hadley. He continued: “It already had most of the things we were looking for, like a rodent infestation, a deprivation of natural light. I mean, look at this place from the outside and tell me you’re not terrified of it.”
Some human rights activists have even questioned whether the former library provides humane living conditions for anyone at all. The Canadian Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into the matter. “Choosing a building with such a storied history of suffering and anxiety was important to us” says warden Elliot Hadley.