THUNDER BAY – The province is taking the first steps in the process to construct a replacement for the nearly century-old Thunder Bay District Jail.
Through Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, a request for qualifications was issued for interested parties to build the new 325-inmate Thunder Bay Correctional Centre Complex.
Last year the province announced a commitment to construct a new facility, which would consolidate the district jail and the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre. The project was highlighted in this year’s provincial budget, though there was no specific price tag or timelines attached.
The request for qualifications is a preliminary measure to identify a proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the new facility. The notice issued advises that proposals which meet the criteria will be invited to submit a more detailed request for proposal in spring 2019.
Shawn Bradshaw, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 708 which represents Thunder Bay correctional officers, is encouraged to see the project moving forward but wanted it done quicker.
“We had hoped it would be a lot sooner. Obviously, we’re a little disappointed because the numbers that are thrown around are spring 2019 and we had hoped fall 2018 would be a good starting point,” Bradshaw said.
“But any movement is good movement at this point. You get worried with elections coming up and stuff that maybe it would fall by the wayside. It is a step in the right direction, unfortunately just not quite the timelines we were hoping for.”
Bradshaw added he anticipates the project would have a five-year build phase, potentially putting the opening around 2024.
The request for qualifications does not identify a specific location for the facility but Bradshaw said archaeological surveys and environmental assessments are being conducted on the correctional centre’s Highway 61 property.
“As far as I know they’re not looking at any other sites and this would be the most logical,” Bradshaw said. “We’ve had major infrastructure improvements here over the last couple of years that would make us the site to go to.”
Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle has long advocated for a replacement to the McDougall Street district jail, particularly after a December 2015 riot resulted in an officer being held hostage for a number of hours.
“We know the circumstances there aren’t the best, to put it politely. It’s really important we move forward with a new jail,” Gravelle said.
“The fact they’re going to be combining the new facility with the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre makes sense to me and to have them moving forward with this is hugely important to the officers that work there and we want to be able to make sure they have a safe environment let alone having those people who are inmates of the jail.”
Bradshaw would have preferred the new facility, which will have both male and female populations in separate areas, had the capacity to house nearly 500 inmates. Factoring in regional pressures in Kenora and Fort Frances along with the potential to be a flagship facility to rehabilitate Indigenous offenders across Ontario leave him concerned there won’t be enough space.
“They build it thinking it will be 325 beds and that satisfies Thunder Bay, which generally runs around 200 plus inmates, usually probably closer to 240,” Bradshaw said.
“If you have new and updated modern facilities judges are less reluctant to put somebody in custody who may need custodial intervention in their lives. We’d become a hub for Indigenous programming and we would take offenders from everywhere (across the province).”
