Request for Qualifications have been issued for the expansion of the Quinte Detention Centre.
The Ontario government made the announcement at the facility in Napanee on Wednesday.
In a press conference, Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said there would 66 new beds added for female offenders to bring the total capacity of the facility to 312.
“By modernizing adult correctional services across the province, we are investing in a public safety system that holds criminals accountable,” Kerzner said.
“Across the province, these efforts will be supported by hiring more than 200 correctional staff, including correctional officers, nurses and support staff, and this means 200 more jobs in our local communities, so people can work close to home in a fulfilling and meaningful career.”
Following the press conference, Quinte News spoke with Hastings—Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee about the decision to make all of the expanded beds for female offenders.
Bresee explained that staff looked at the needs of the centre when determining the expansion.
“We’re finding what the best mix is, what the demand for those those spaces are, and for the Quinte Detention Centre,” Bresee tells Quinte News.
“The local staff figured out what the the particular needs were, and in this case, it’s to expand the capacity for the the female side of the institution.”
Bresee says there have been no discussions about turning the detention centre into an all female facility.
“There’s none of that discussion right now,” Bresee said.
“Obviously we will, as a government and as the local institution, continue to evaluate what the needs are in the local area to make sure that we’re meeting those needs.”
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposals (RFP), expected to be released in the Summer of 2025.
December 18, 2024. (Photo: Zach McGibbon/Quinte News)
