Province to build, renovate five Eastern Ontario jails
The Government of Ontario announced plans to replace or renovate five Eastern Ontario jail facilities on August 27.
The announcement, which was made in Brockville by Premier Doug Ford, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and area MPP Steve Clark, will see a series of new construction projects and building upgrades to update facilities, remedy overcrowding, and create new spaces for the delivery of mental health services, inmate programming and staff training.
"The Ontario government is making a substantial investment that will transform the corrections system in Eastern Ontario," said Jones. "Modernizing outdated infrastructure and building new facilities will create a better and safer environment for our hard-working frontline staff and address overcrowding in many of our institutions."
Plans for construction include building a new Greater Ottawa Correctional Complex on an existing, government-owned site in Kemptville. The new facility will adopt modern planning principles and design elements, including single cell occupancy, risk-classified housing units, modern programming and cultural space, open visitation spaces and improved professional development space for staff.
The Brockville Jail and St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre will be expanded into a shared facility on the grounds of the St. Lawrence Valley facility. The Brockville Jail, which was built in 1842, is the oldest in the province. Plans for construction include building a new facility that will increase capacity and improve access to services and programming in the area.
At the Quinte Detention Centre in Napanee, a separate building will be constructed adjacent to the existing facility. A large portion of the expansion will be used for inmate programming and recreational activities. The new living units will be dedicated to women who are incarcerated and will be single-storey and single-occupancy.
Finally, the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre will be renovated to better accommodate programming for inmates and other initiatives. This project will proceed once the Greater Ottawa Correctional Complex is completed. Capacity at the detention centre will be re-evaluated with the potential to retrofit and repurpose areas to support modernized service delivery and improve programming for inmates and training for staff.
It is not yet known when design or construction of the facilities will take place.
Delivery of the facilities is being performed under the government's plan to invest $500 million over five years to modernize correctional facilities and support frontline corrections officers across the province, including the hiring of more than 500 new correctional staff.
"These critical investments demonstrate our government's ongoing commitment to our incredible frontline corrections workers, while also providing an important boost to our local economy," said Clark. "I am so proud today's announcement includes expanding the St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre to provide treatment for female inmates with serious mental health needs. This is a project I have worked on for years alongside community leaders to build on the expertise we have now at the facility."