New Brunswick government re-evaluates construction of $66-million jail in Grand Lake

The New Brunswick Liberal government says construction of a new $66-million jail in Grand Lake is under review, and could possibly be cancelled.

“No decision has been made yet,” said Public Safety minister Robert Gauvin, to reporters on Friday. “We’re going to know more in the coming weeks.”

About $5 million has already been spent on site prep-work for the Central New Brunswick Correctional Centre, announced by the previous Progressive Conservative government in June 2023.

Gauvin said the project’s re-evaluation was prompted by concerns about its rural location.

“The need for a jail has been identified in Fredericton so what we have to evaluate is, it’s a 45 minute drive I’m told from (Fredericton to Grand Lake),” says Gauvin. “Do they have the capacity for medical services there?”

In April, former PC public safety minister Kris Austin, who represents the riding of Fredericton-Grand Lake, confirmed costs for the new jail had more than doubled from the initial estimate of $32-million. Austin said inflation was responsible for the cost increase, and defended the project’s continuation due to overcapacity at other provincial correctional facilities.

The initial plan to build a new jail within Fredericton’s Vanier Industrial Park was ultimately abandoned in May 2023, following opposition from some residents in the area.

The jail in Grand Lake is scheduled to open in 2026.

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