The Abandoned Brookside Youth Detention Centre in Cobourg is one of those places that carries a lot more weight than your typical abandoned property. What sits empty today was once part of Ontario’s youth correctional system for decades, and walking the grounds, you can still feel that history in the layout and the buildings themselves.

I explored this location during the summer of 2025 alongside Zenning with Zay, with some helpful intel from Freaktography that pointed us in the right direction. It’s a large site, and without that kind of insight, it would be easy to miss key areas or overlook how much is actually still standing.

The property dates back to the 1930s, originally operating as a training school for girls before transitioning into a boys’ facility in 1948. Over time, it evolved into a secure custody centre for young offenders, eventually becoming what most people knew as Brookside Youth Centre. At its peak, it functioned more like a small campus, with multiple buildings spread out across the property, including residences, administrative spaces, and schooling areas.

By the time it closed in February 2021, the facility was only housing a small number of youth. Rising operational costs and a shift toward community-based programs led to its shutdown. Since then, the site has sat empty, with redevelopment plans slowly making their way through discussions and proposals.

Today, you’ll find a mix of structures in varying condition. Some areas are heavily deteriorated, while others still feel relatively intact, almost like they were left behind in a hurry. The scale of the property is what really stands out—it doesn’t feel like a single building, but more like a contained institutional environment.

There’s also a heavier side to this location that can’t be ignored. Former residents have come forward over the years with allegations of abuse tied to facilities like this one, adding another layer to how the site is viewed today. It’s not just an abandoned complex—it represents a system that has since been reevaluated and, in many ways, changed.

Walking through in the summer heat, it was quiet—almost too quiet for a place that once held so much activity. The layout, the fencing, the separation between buildings—it all reinforces what the space was designed for. Even without anything happening there now, it still feels controlled and structured in a way that hasn’t fully faded.

The future of the property is still uncertain, though it has reportedly been sold and is expected to be redeveloped. Whether that means housing, community use, or something else entirely remains to be seen.

For now, the Abandoned Brookside Youth Detention Centre remains a snapshot of a system that has largely moved on—left behind, but not forgotten.

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I always love a big location & the Abandoned Bluewater Youth Detention Centre was perfect!  Massive, creepy & having a checkered past checked all of Zenning with Zay & my boxes!

Originally built in 1961, The Ontario Hospital was a mental health facility.  15 years later it was renamed to Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped & operated as such until 1983.  Two years later the facility was given a face lift at a cost of $10 million to accommodate young offenders.

The Facility reopened in 1985 as  Bluewater Youth Detention Centre.  In 1996, just one day into a public service strike against the Ontario government, a riot, then a fire broke out at the prison.  The inmates were incited by the guards to riot to help support their cause.   The inmates were more than willing to kick off caused $175,000 in damage & that night 40 inmates were transferred to Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre where they claimed they were humiliated, verbally & physically intimidated, prodded, struck & kicked, with some sustaining injuries at the hands of prison managers who were filling in for striking guards.   6 years later a settlement was made with a dozen former inmates who received a considerable sum of money & apology from the province.  The incident  caused significant changes in the youth justice system in an attempt to reduce the number of youths incarcerated by implementing community-based programs.  The facility, located near Goderich could accommodate hundreds of youths however when it closed there was it was at a mere 26% capacity.  In 2015 Bluewater closed suddenly putting nearly 200 people out of work.

In 2017 & 2018 Canadian Forces visited the facility to perform training exercises on several occasions.  Explosions & gun shots echoed through the air for a week at a time.

The damage done by Canadian forces was extensive but certainly made for some awesome shots!  Breach training was done throughout the facility with walls blown apart, doors cut open.  It was pretty cool to see the damage & must have been incredibly loud during the exercises.

Former staff made attempts to have the facility re-opened however the gate was sealed.  The province has decided that the sprawling 300 acre property should be sold & locals hope that the land is used for a resort or some sort of year round attraction.  The buildings have extensive damage & will likely need to be demolished.  Hopefully a new use is found quickly & new jobs created for those put out of work when it closed.

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In 2017 my friends decided to take a road trip to the former Prison for Women.  We had a weekend long adventure where we spent the night in abandoned buildings.  Prison for Women was to be our explore for the second day of the adventure.

This maximum security prison housed women, as per its name.  The first prisoner arrived in 1934 & operated with 10 directors over the 66 years it was open.  Allegations of inhumane treatment & chemical testing including the use of LSD on patients lead to the closure of P4W (Prison for Women).  The turning point was a riot in 1995 which started the closure with inmates gradually being moved to other correctional facilities.  One notable inmate at P4W was notorious serial killer Karla Holmolka.   After its closure in 2000, P4W sat emtpy for eight years until Queen's University purchased it with plans of using it for archive storage.  They tore down the perimiter wall but that was it.  Today the prison sits awaiting a new use.

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