Holt government re-evaluating Minto jail project
Premier Holt says she has concerns about location
Premier Susan Holt says her government is re-evaluating plans for a new jail in Minto.
"We do have some concerns about whether that's the best location," said Holt, answering a question on Friday from a listener during a province-wide interview on Information Morning.
The previous PC government began work on a new Central Regional Correctional Centre in the riding of former public safety minister Kris Austin over a year ago.
Bird Construction is managing the project. Land has been cleared and levelled, roads have been built and the site has been serviced.
Tenders were issued in September for the foundation and electrical hookup.
The project is expected to cost about $66 million in total.
"A lot of that work hasn't moved forward," said the premier.
"We do want to make sure that a massive expenditure such as that is the right thing in the right place," she said.
Holt said her team would look for data that shows the need for the jail and the services it will deliver.
Former minister who led project still supportive
There's no question a new jail is needed, said Austin, who was re-elected MLA for Fredericton-Grand Lake but is no longer a government minister.
"As minister, every day I got the report that showed that we were overcapacity," he said to reporters outside the legislature late Friday morning.
"We were releasing low-risk offenders because we had no place to put them."
The Minto site came out on top after an objective selection process through the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, he said.
Some of the selling points were that a clinic is located across the road, there are no homes within about a kilometre and it's a 40-minute drive to Fredericton or the Burton Bridge, said Austin.
A previous plan to build a new jail off of Vanier Industrial Drive in Fredericton was met with considerable opposition from residents in the area.
"You don't want to go through that again when you have an area ready to go, millions of dollars invested, a community that's excited about it," he said.
Grand Lake mayor taken by surprise
The mayor of the Municipality of Grand Lake, which includes Minto, said the premier's comments came as a surprise.
"If it does change to a different location or whatnot, it's just the straight weaponization of politics as far as I'm concerned," said Kevin Nicklin, noting his community did not vote Liberal in the recent provincial election.
"Now, all of a sudden the largest project that we have with them is going to be pulled. That doesn't make sense," he said.
The municipality has spent about $1 million on upgrading its water and sewer lines for the new jail, said Nicklin.
Bird Construction just applied for a building permit to pour concrete for the foundation, he said.
In addition, a number of students began classes in September at the municipal building, as part of a satellite New Brunswick Community College program, in the hopes of working as guards at the new jail.
Minister says government won't play politics
"We don't want to play politics with these projects," said newly appointed Public Safety Minister Robert Gauvin, answering a question in French during a reporter scrum at the legislature.
"I can guarantee there has not been a Liberal riding that has been identified to have the jail," he said.
"When there's a change of government, we evaluate projects. And that is simply what's happening."
About $5 million has been spent on the jail project so far, said Gauvin.
Meetings will be held next week to discuss its future, he said.
"We have to evaluate the need for a jail. And also, do they have the proper community services? … Do they have capacity for medical services?"
The distance to Fredericton could be an issue, he said.
Other possible sites that were in the running might be closer to medical services and could be more appropriate, he said.
"Ten years down the road, we'll have to look back and ask whether it was the right place to build it."
A decision on whether to proceed may be included in the capital budget before Christmas, said Gauvin, but he did not commit to that time frame.
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