The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Saskatchewan government will spend $12.6 million in 2012-13 to complete expansion projects at the two provincial correctional facilities in Prince Albert. It will help fund a two-storey, 72-cell secure living unit, with double-bunking capacity of up to 144 beds, at the Prince Albert Provincial Correctional Centre for men. The project carries an overall price tag of $24 million over three years, with the province chipping in $3 million for 2012-13. Meanwhile, the Pine Grove Provincial Correctional Centre, the only correctional centre for women in the province, receives $9.6 million. That will continue construction of a new 30-cell living unit with double-bunking capacity of up to 60 beds. The two-year capital project commenced last fall, carrying a total cost of $12 million. Corrections Minister D.F. (Yogi) Huyghebaert said 'overcrowding conditions combined with aging physical structures and outdated design has the potential to compromise' the safety of staff, inmates, visitors and the public. 'These projects are an important step in addressing overcrowding pressures in the provincial correctional system,' he added. 'I have already witnessed great progress on the Pine Grove addition and I look forward to seeing shovels in the ground at the Prince Albert Provincial Correctional Centre.' _ Compiled from a Government of Saskatchewan news release
