New jail being built in Nanaimo to create hundreds of construction jobs: Province

VICTORIA -- A new jail will soon be coming to Nanaimo, which will create hundreds of jobs in the area, according to the provincial government.

The upcoming facility will replace the current Nanaimo Correctional Centre (NCC) in the area, which was first built in 1953 and originally served as a reform school.

Stuart Olson Construction Ltd. has been selected to build the new NCC, which is expected to require roughly 1,000 workers, the province announced Wednesday.

The B.C. government says that construction will create 650 direct jobs, 275 indirect positions and roughly “100 additional jobs associated with spending by those workers.”

The current Nanaimo Correctional Centre is just one of two facilities across B.C. that houses only medium classified sentenced people or lower who do not require higher levels of supervision.

The new NCC will feature B.C.’s first purpose-built custody unit for women, which includes a separate area for women who only require short-term custody while awaiting transfer to serve a sentence or who are on remand.

The roughly $157 million project will also include modern spaces for educational, vocational and certified trades training, as well as rehab spaces and culturally responsive Indigenous programs.

The new jail is expected to have approximately 200 cells in total, with construction beginning in the first quarter of 2021 after contract signing is completed in January.

The province is also collecting input from two local First Nations, Snuneymuxw and Snaw’Naw’As, on the facility’s design and on job opportunities during construction.

“NCC and the therapeutic community within it have an impressive history of changing lives for the better, and that’s a testament to the hard work of both staff and people in our custody,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety, when the project was first announced in June 2019.

“We envision a new centre that will better support staff and enhance NCC’s unique, effective programs, including the Guthrie Therapeutic Community (GTC) and vocational and educational programs delivered in partnership with Vancouver Island University,” he said.