[Moncton] Sackville Developments

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Cost climbing for new prison health centre in New Brunswick
3 companies selected to submit proposals to design and build centre on Dorchester Penitentiary grounds
Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Dec 19, 2024 7:10 PM AST | Last Updated: 5 hours ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dorchester-health-facility-spending-1.7415188

A new 155-bed health-care facility for prison inmates in southeastern New Brunswick is expected to cost millions more than previously expected.

The federal government has been planning a facility to replace the 53-bed Shepody Healing Centre at Dorchester Penitentiary.

The new centre was expected to cost $400 million in 2021. During a news conference Thursday at the prison, Canada's new finance minister said the cost has climbed.

Dominic LeBlanc described it as the largest federal spending project in the province since the Confederation Bridge, which cost about $1 billion.

"The scale of this project is very much in that range," LeBlanc said of the cost comparison.

LeBlanc said three companies have been selected to submit proposals early next year to design and build it: Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., EllisDon Corp. and Pomerleau Inc.

LeBlanc announced the plan to replace Shepody in 2019, but on Thursday he said there have been various delays, including an evaluation of whether it should be in another province or in a city.

It will require more staff, including psychiatrists, family doctors, and nurses. He said that recruitment will take place over years, but he's optimistic there will be interest in coming to work a the centre.

"It'll become a teaching centre as well. So we probably will need to triple the staff available that we currently have," he said.

Again, this will be a full fledged prison hospital, including an infirmary with diagnostic and lab services and consultation rooms for visiting specialists. There will be a total of 155 beds, but the vast majority of these will be psychiatric beds. I get the impression this facility will be the national referral centre for forensic psychiatric services. They anticipate a staff of 12 psychiatrists, and this will be a teaching hospital with psychiatric residents.

Quite something for little Dorchester.