N.W.T. officials meet with Fort Smith jail staff before funding expires next year

Funding for the men's unit at the N.W.T.'s Fort Smith Correctional Complex is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year, and the territorial government says its senior staff is helping employees prepare.

In the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek said senior staff with the departments of Finance and Justice met with jail staff to help them understand their options. 

A partial closure of the Fort Smith jail was proposed in the territorial budget earlier this year to free up $2.7 million. It was suggested as part of a plan to save for unexpected costs such as disaster response. 

In June, the territory said it would continue to fund the jail for one more year. 

An employee told CBC News at the time that notice would give workers time to plan while still earning a paycheck.

In the legislature Tuesday, Yellowknife MLA Robert Hawkins asked for clarification on whether staff were given layoff notices. Hawkins said that's what he's been hearing from people in the region. 

Wawzonek said that layoff notices haven't been issued, but that since they know the funding is expiring at the end of the fiscal year in March, senior staff met with jail workers in person on Oct. 25 to talk about their options in advance of the formal notice. 

She said some staff are eligible for retirement, while others may want to transfer.   

"And that way when the clock does start to tick on getting a formal notice, people have the opportunity to make choices well in advance and with lots of time ahead of them," Wawzonek said. 

Wawzonek had previously said that the government was looking into repurposing the facility as a wellness centre. Department staff were not immediately available to respond to questions of whether that is still the plan.