The new prison is 300,000 square feet on 36 acres of land in Senkulmen Business Park.
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 tour of the facility being constructed in 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 the 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 BC 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 BC, which is why the ministry is trying to address the social problems faced by First Nations people.
After the tour, 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 (all 378 of them).
“It has all been planned out to the absolute inch,” the mayor said.
Hovanes noted there is a massive greenhouse in the facility, where food will be grown. 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.
In addition, there will be a “healing room” for First Nations inmates, something that the Osoyoos Indian Band wanted, the mayor pointed out.
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 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 in this kitchen.)
Hovanes said senior staff and the correctional officers will settle in the area (from Okanagan Falls south to Osoyoos). A couple have already settled in Oliver, and at least one has joined a Parents Advisory Council at a local school.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff said she was pleased with the progress at the facility.
She noted the greenhouse will provide much of the fresh vegetables for the kitchen, which is a “wonderful idea.”
She also agreed that the healing centre is very innovative.
During the tour, McKortoff asked about the staff hiring process and wanted to know how many 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 staff so that local concerns could be addressed. She also asked for an open house for the public before the correctional centre is occupied.
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.
The mayor said there is not a lot of opposition to the new facility.
By Lyonel Doherty
