Office of the Premier
The on-time, on-budget completion of the new $200-million Okanagan Correctional Centre (OCC) puts a lock on more options to safely house inmates throughout British Columbia – and adds 300 jobs in the South Okanagan for correctional officers and support staff.
Today celebrates the formal turning over of B.C.’s biggest correctional centre to the Province, after construction finished in September. Following system testing and on-site staff training, BC Corrections expects to begin moving inmates into the 29,500-square-metre, high-security facility early next year. The centre will house both male and female, remanded and sentenced inmates, with one of its 11 living units exclusively for women.
OCC is the cornerstone of the largest capital expansion in the history of BC Corrections. The centre accounts for about half of the nearly 800 cells added throughout the province since 2008 – an expansion that has more than doubled inmate capacity in B.C.’s interior, which is also home to regional correctional centres in Prince George and Kamloops.
British Columbia’s 10th provincial correctional centre stands in the Senkulmen Business Park, off Highway 97 just north of Oliver, as a result of a historic partnership between the Province and the Osoyoos Indian Band – the first of its kind to see a B.C. correctional centre located on a First Nation’s land. This agreement includes a 60-year land lease with a 20-year renewal option.
The grand opening ceremony kicked off a series of free tours that will give the public a rare glimpse into the inner areas of a correctional centre.
(flickr.com) Quotes:
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Morris –
"The completion of OCC is a win for all British Columbians. It expands, yet again, the capacity of BC Corrections to safely manage inmates, deliver programming that helps to curb reoffending, and contribute to the safety of our communities. As a modern, high-security centre, it will also support the safety of its staff and the surrounding area. Thanks to both the Osoyoos Indian Band and builders Plenary Justice for their vision, commitment, and partnership with us, which have contributed so much to public safety in B.C. and to the economy of the South Okanagan."
Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson –
"The completion of construction is just the beginning of the good news story for our area. BC Corrections employees are moving here with their families – and as they do, we’re seeing more housing sales and starts, new retailers setting up shop and more youth now attending the area’s schools."
Chief Clarence Louie, Osoyoos Indian Band –
"We welcomed the opportunity to get involved in a project of this magnitude. BC Corrections is an anchor tenant for our business park and we’ve felt like a real partner throughout the centre’s development. The result speaks for itself: a facility that’s going to make a difference to the lives of those it employs and those it houses."
Oliver mayor Ron Hovanes –
"Okanagan Correctional Centre is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving. Construction was good for our economy, the jobs in the centre will be around for decades to come, and the people who are taking up those good-paying positions are upstanding and community-minded. They’re the kind of folks who help build community, and I want to extend a warm welcome to them as they continue to arrive and take up their new posts."
Learn More:
BC Corrections: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/corrections
A backgrounder follows.
