The federal government is spending more than $58 million on the design of a stand-alone health centre near the Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick that will treat prisoners. The Health Centre of Excellence will feature 155 beds and will replace the 53-bed Shepody Healing Centre. The federal government awarded the contract to the EllisDon Corporation for the design phase of the project, according to a news release. The total estimated cost of the facility is $1.3 billion. “The selection of a proponent to design and build the new Health Centre of Excellence marks a key step toward the construction of a safe, modern and bilingual correctional facility in Dorchester that will keep communities safe in Atlantic Canada and across the country,” said Minister of Internal Trade Dominic LeBlanc in the release. “This new infrastructure will ensure that CSC staff have a safe and secure workspace to meet the growing needs of a complex offender population in federal custody.” The new health centre will be designed to treat federal offenders with enhanced physical and mental health-care needs. The federal government says the design and construction of the facility will bring an estimated 450 jobs to the region. It will also employ roughly 300 staff members. The Dorchester Penitentiary, which originally opened in 1880, is the second-oldest continuously operating corrections facility in the country. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
