The Sydenham District Association announced today that it has retained an Ottawa law firm to litigate the decision of the Limestone District School Board to close Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI).
The Sydenham District Association’s lawyer, Champ and Associates, notified the Limestone Board of this impending lawsuit seeking judicial review of the closure decision roughly a month ago. The Association contends there were serious process errors on the part of the Board that made the school closure process fundamentally unfair.
If the lawsuit is successful, a judge could set aside the closure decision and KCVI and QECVI would remain at their current sites.
The Sydenham District Association, founded in 1967 and incorporated in 1982, is a community organization that pursues the interests of the downtown and central Kingston residential and business community.
Members of the SDA stress that they did not come to this decision lightly. Proceeding with litigation is always a difficult choice, and only to be taken as a last resort. Litigation is also expensive, and the Sydenham District Association and certain individuals must pay for the legal costs.
The SDA is therefore offering its support for the fundraising event ‘An Evening with the Arts’ to be held at St. Georges Cathedral and Great Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25, 2014.
The SDA executive says that the fundraiser will provide an opportunity to celebrate KCVI along with some of its prominent graduates such as Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, Paul Langlois, Deanna Choi and many others.
Tickets are selling fast. Tickets can be purchased and donations made at: savekingstoncityschools.com or www.soskcvi.ca.
Tickets can also be purchased at the door.
The main goal of the fundraiser is to raise money to cover the legal costs of the litigation. Any remaining funds will be used by to support initiatives to keep central Kingston city schools in their current neighborhoods.
Release source: Sydenham District Association | Photos: KCVI – Andrew MacKinnon (cc)