$850K in renovations planned for Baffin Correctional Centre

Nunavut's Justice Department is getting $850,000 to do safety renovations at Baffin Correctional Centre in Iqaluit.

The money was approved recently in the legislature.

The overcrowded and aging jail has been a sore spot for the department for years. A 2013 report by the Office of the Correctional Investigator said "the current state of disrepair and crowding are nothing short of appalling," and it cited plywood walls and overcrowding as fire hazards.

Last week in the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, Minister of Justice Paul Okalik said many of the concerns from the report have been addressed.

Chris Stewart, manager of special projects with Justice says small repairs are now underway, and major ones will take place when the new jail opens nearby.

"It's awfully difficult and challenging to do the necessary repairs to the Baffin Correctional Centre while it is still at full capacity, so the new building, the Makigiarvik Centre, will allow us to partially empty out some of these areas to address these critical deficiencies."

Stewart says the new low-security jail will officially open in early 2015. 

Its name, Makigiarvik, was chosen after consulting with elders and means to "go through hard times and start over." 

Stewart says workers are finishing up construction inside and the department will soon begin hiring staff.