Supreme court dismisses Dorval case against youth detention centre

The Batshaw Youth and Family Centre will go ahead with the expansion of its facility in Dorval after the Supreme Court of Canada decided not to hear the city's appeal to block the centre's plans.

Batshaw plans to add two new closed units for high-risk minors to its 42-bed facility on Montreal's West Island.

The City of Dorval and some of its residents have been fighting the expansion for months.

Batshaw made its formal application to the City of Dorval for a building permit in November 2009.

According to a city news release published last September, the municipality said it decided not to issue a building permit to Batshaw because the city's zoning bylaws did not allow it.

However, new municipal bylaws adopted by the city now allow institutions with "closed units" to be located in the city's industrial centre.

Batshaw filed a lawsuit against the municipality in September 2011 seeking a building permit. The Quebec Superior Court rendered a decision in favour of the centre.

In August 2012, the Quebec Court of Appeal also supported Batshaw after the city asked it overrule the superior court's decision.

The city said it has accumulated nearly 4,000 signatures on a petition against the Batshaw Centre's plans to build the high-security facility.

Batshaw said it will reach out to the Dorval community to assure them the new building will be secure.

It said the majority of the building's tenants will not have the right to leave the facility, and those who do will be supervised.

Batshaw plans on putting out a call for tender in the coming weeks and it hopes construction will be completed by April 2014.