Ontario government to invest over $180M to increase capacity at correctional facilities

The Ontario government announced Thursday that it’s investing more than $180 million to increase capacity at correctional facilities across the province.

The announcement was made from the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold, nearly a month after Ontario’s ombudsman raised concerns about overcrowding in jails, leading to safety concerns for both staff and inmates.

The government says that the Niagara Detention Centre, the Cecil Facer Youth Centre in Sudbury and the Vanier Centre for Women in Milton “will be expanded to create 150 new beds and give frontline staff the space they need to do their jobs safely.”

The modular build facilities are delivered through Infrastructure Ontario which aims to deliver projects more efficiently “using accelerated procurement processes and modular construction methods.”

“By expanding correctional facilities and bringing new beds online faster, we are strengthening our ability to hold criminals accountable and ensure that inmates serve their sentences in secure, modern spaces,” said provincial Solicitor General Michael Kerzner.

“This expansion will help improve public safety in Niagara and provide frontline correctional staff with a safe, secure and modern workplace,” added Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.

The Niagara Detention Centre will expand by 50 spaces through a modular build onto the existing facility, along with a yard and programming space.

Bird Construction Inc. has been awarded the contract to design and build the modular expansions, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026.

Since 2024, 110 additional beds have been added to adult correctional facilities across the province, with 665 more to be added by the end of next year.

Terry Ugulini, the mayor of Thorold said that the expansion not only addresses the need for public safety, but will be a source for more employment.

“Everybody wants to build more homes faster and we’re looking at growth,” said Ugulini. “But we also have to service that growth with jobs. People need jobs and this is an opportunity where we’ll gain jobs.”

In addition to new beds the expanded facilities will offer enhanced rehabilitation programs, including literacy, job skills and technology training.

By 2028 the Cecil Facer Youth Centre will be repurposed into an adult correctional facility to provide additional capacity and programming in northern Ontario.

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