Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I certainly appreciate the Member’s concerns and questions regarding the $2 million on the security fences at the North Slave Correctional Centre. I want the Member to know that initially when I saw that number, I had a number of questions, as well, for the department. Once I had a look at the reasons why we needed to construct a security fence and a perimeter fence at North Slave Correctional Centre, the cost can be justified. It is something that we need to move forward with.
I’m glad you brought up the spiritual and cultural component of on-the-land type of programming. Really what building a fence at North Slave
Correctional Centre is going to do is allow us to have the inmates get out to our spiritual and cultural area at the facility so that they can get the programming that’s taking place out there. Hopefully they won’t end up coming back into the facility and will get the help that they need.
The perimeter fence, the timing is right for us to move on both the security fence and the perimeter fence because of the housing development that is being constructed next door. We have an in-kind contribution from the developer of that lot to help us build the perimeter fence. The interior security fence will be corrections grade, it will have lighting, it will have the closed-circuit television, it will be connected to the facility’s other security systems. So when you look at the proximity of the facility to 150 new homes, it is important that we have both a security fence and also a perimeter fence not only to keep the inmates in but also to – you know, there’s going to be a lot of young children in the area – keep people out. Also, it certainly will help with contraband getting into the facility as well.
So when you look at all of these things, we really do need to move forward with getting this project completed. Thank you.