Mike Morris (third from right) and Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff (fourth from left) were part of a group of local dignitaries who received an extended tour of the new South Okanagan Correctional Centre being built near Oliver recently. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
When the province’s new public safety minister toured the Okanagan Correctional Centre last week, one thing came to mind: “A lot of concrete.”
So said Mike Morris, one of several VIPs treated to a recent tour of the facility being constructed in the Senkulmen Business Park north of Oliver.
“It’s on time and on budget . . . it’s going very well,” said Morris, who marveled at how the prison is being designed for the safety of inmates and correctional officers.
“You can look into every living unit and monitor it from one location,” Morris said, speaking of the technology being utilized.
He noted the cells are a lot less totalitarian than they used to be.
“They’re built to be as indestructible as possible (because some inmates do their best to destroy them).”
Morris said all of the electrical, mechanical and heating systems are in place and crews are busy with millwork and finishing rooms.
He noted that senior management teams (wardens) have been hired and they are in the midst of hiring hundreds of correctional officers.
“At the end of the day, we’re looking at close to 250 to 300 workers (in the facility).”
The minister said he can see new families moving into town and a new economic engine being created in the South Okanagan.
Morris said the facility will definitely add capacity to the correctional system in B.C. by giving more people access to programs.
For example, he mentioned a therapeutic initiative involving horses, designed specifically for First Nations inmates.
Morris acknowledged the high number of incarcerated aboriginals in this province, which is why the ministry is trying to address the social problems faced by First Nations people.
After the tour, Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff said she was pleased with the progress at the facility.
She noted that a greenhouse will provide much of the fresh vegetables for the kitchen, which is a “wonderful idea.”
She also noted that a “healing centre” is very innovative, too.
During the tour, McKortoff asked about the staff hiring process and wanted to know how many people were from outside the South Okanagan, and how many might have children.
She explained the situation regarding potential school closures in Osoyoos.
Officials could only say they would keep her informed if the school population would be affected.
“If a school closes here, I do not see young families choosing to move here, McKortoff said. “We had originally hoped for about 20 per cent of new workers to choose Osoyoos.”
The mayor said she would like to see a town hall meeting arranged in Osoyoos with ministry and prison staff so that local concerns can be addressed. She also asked for an open house for the public before the correctional centre is occupied.
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes had one word to describe the facility – massive.
“It’s huge . . . huge, huge, huge. There’s 22,000 cubic metres of concrete.”
Actually, the structure is 300,000 square feet on 36 acres – a great venue for hide and seek, but as one ministry spokesperson put it, they’d find you with the state-of-the-art security equipment being installed.
Hovanes admitted that it felt “heavy” walking through the centre, with long corridors and tiny cells (378 of them).
“It has all been planned out to the absolute inch,” the mayor said.
The large greenhouse, where food will be grown, too, impressed Hovanes. The food they don’t use will go to the local food bank, he pointed out.
Hovanes also marveled at a fish farm that has been incorporated into the centre.
He noted the “healing room” for First Nations inmates is something the Osoyoos Indian Band wanted.
Hovanes said that site superintendent Paul Devriendt relayed the fact that 280,000 man-hours have gone into the facility without one workplace injury.
According to the ministry, there are approximately 270 workers on site on any given day.
Construction is scheduled to be complete this fall, but Hovanes said he was told the facility will largely be finished at the end of June.
The ministry says it will begin to move inmates into the facility in 2017.
Once the centre is open, it will generate 240 new, full-time correctional positions, plus 60 support staff positions, such as kitchen employees.
No inmates will be working in the kitchen.
Hovanes said senior staff and the correctional officers will settle in the area (from Okanagan Falls south to Osoyoos).
A small handful has already settled in Oliver and at least one has joined a Parents Advisory Council at a local school.
Hovanes agreed that the ministry should host a prison tour for the public.
“There’s curiosity. I really think many local citizens would like to take a walk through there.”
Hovanes said a town hall meeting will give Oliver residents a chance to meet the staff and ask questions, such as what happens to the inmates once they are released.
According to the mayor, there is not a lot of opposition to B.C.’s newest jail.
LYONEL DOHERTY
Special to the Times
