The projected cost for constructing a new medical facility for prisoners in federal institutions has surged to $1.3 billion, which is more than triple the initial estimate of $400 million disclosed in 2021, as per federal records and insider sources. The Treasury Board sanctioned funding for this venture in New Brunswick in December 2024; however, the heightened budget has not been unveiled yet due to ongoing negotiations with construction companies in Ottawa.
Insiders familiar with the situation have revealed that the project weathered the fiscal scrutiny by Ottawa before the November 4 federal budget, despite the push to curtail expenses at Correctional Service Canada. The upcoming 155-bed complex will deliver mental and physical healthcare services in both French and English languages to male and female inmates within the federal correctional system. It will be housed in a new structure, replacing an antiquated facility with only one-third of the current capacity within Dorchester Penitentiary.
The construction site will be situated in the Beauséjour electoral district, represented by Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister overseeing Canada-U.S. trade affairs. LeBlanc previously hinted that the project’s budget would surpass the initial projections but refrained from specifying an exact figure. He likened the scale of the project to the Confederation Bridge connecting New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, inaugurated in 1997, during his tenure as finance minister.
The estimated $1.3 billion budget for the forthcoming facility represents a 30% increase over the $1 billion Confederation Bridge contract, as outlined in federal documents and sources. Radio-Canada has provided anonymity to federal sources not authorized to publicly discuss this issue. Correctional Service Canada aims to finalize the project by 2032.
In 2023, while serving as the public safety minister, LeBlanc was notified of the escalating budget for the project in a briefing document obtained through the Access to Information Act. Though financial specifics were redacted, the document indicated that LeBlanc advocated for maintaining the original scope of the project despite the cost escalation.
Anne Kelly, the commissioner of Correctional Service Canada, highlighted in a correspondence that LeBlanc stressed the importance of preserving the full project during their initial meeting, despite the revised budget forecast for the 155-bed facility. The proposed center is designed to cater to the intricate physical and clinical healthcare requirements of federal offenders nationwide, according to government documents.
The new facility, situated in southeastern New Brunswick on the premises of Dorchester Penitentiary, will supersede the existing 53-bed Shepody Healing Centre. Dr. Louis Thériault, a psychiatrist at the recovery center, has consistently raised concerns regarding the unsuitable conditions at the current facilities, deeming them unsafe for both inmates and staff. Dorchester Penitentiary, established in 1880, has been flagged for its outdated and inadequate infrastructure, with Dr. Thériault describing the environment as substandard compared to other treatment centers within the correctional service.