Opinion: Austin locks up jail for his riding
Provincial government announces controversial corrections project for capital region is back on, and this time, it’s in Justice and Public Safety minister’s own backyard
The New Brunswick government announced in late 2021 there was a dire need for a new jail to be added to the province’s complement of correctional facilities, and it was going to be in Fredericton.
The major infrastructure project was destined to be constructed within Fredericton city limits, in the area of the Vanier Industrial Park, allowing it to tap into the municipality’s water and sewer services - an element the province earmarked as a vital criterion.
It appears government administrators and political players didn’t count on one thing: pushback from the community.
Residents of the Lincoln Heights neighbourhood, just a stone’s throw was the planned location for the lockup, wanted nothing to do with a correctional facility so close to their homes, to their families.
Now, it’s arguable the concerns weren’t founded on any real risk. Fredericton had a jail located in its downtown core for years, right next to its iconic Boyce Farmers Market.
But the people made their voices heard, and while city council approved a rezoning request to allow it, but concerned residents lobbied Mary Wilson, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Oromocto-Fredericton-Lincoln, who managed to get government to put the effort on hold. That sent the province scrambling to find a new locale for its jail and remand centre.
In a news release issued Monday, the Department of Justice and Public Safety revealed Grand Lake - the community formed through the amalgamation of Minto, Chipman and five local service districts at the outset of 2023 - as the new site for the future jail project.
“Nine communities expressed an interest and five submitted applications to be the site,” the release stated.
“The site, which is located on Industrial Park Road in Minto, scored higher than the other applicants based on the criteria provided.”
Of course, Grand Lake is a key component of Public Safety Minister Kris Austin’s riding. The release is silent on that element, though the area the minister represents is hardly a secret.
The optics of that coinciding interest aren’t great, but that comes with the territory with governance.
The location of the corrections facility isn’t the larger issue to explore. Instead, it’s the questionable justification for the project.
When the province announced its intent to construct a new jail in Fredericton, it seemed to come from out of left field. There hadn’t been a call for such a new correctional building.
In fact, the announcement came at a time when the province was realizing reduced costs in terms of corrections.
Even before the pandemic, the province’s courts were delving into telephone and video-conference appearances for people on remand or serving provincial jail terms, which eased the number of transport vehicles needed to move people in custody around the province.
COVID-19 solidified the practice. It didn’t always prove effective or efficient, as technology glitches and staffing issues would sometimes delay or stymie remote appearances, and occasionally, particularly stubborn defendants wouldn’t co-operate with the relatively new method of connecting with courts.
One could argue a stronger investment in equipment and staffing could have been a better use of government spending than a new lockup.
Given the unexpected nature of the original announcement last year and questions about the need, Justice and Public Safety released numbers showing New Brunswick’s jails were over capacity. The province reported the correctional system for adult male inmates had a capacity to house 470, but there were 512 in the system at the end of 2022.
But that total turned out to be the result of some creative accounting, a CBC investigation revealed. The department developed a new way of counting its inmates that painted a more dire picture. In reality, the previous methodology showed the jails were below capacity from 2010-20.
Despite being faced with those facts, Austin defended the move for a new jail and stuck by the new count.
"The numbers don't lie and they're very clear … We are over capacity.,” he said.
The minister’s right: numbers don’t lie, but this government does. It’s led by the man who uttered the phrase, “Data, my ass,” in response to facts that flew in the face of his quest to overhaul - some might say “dismantle” - French immersion education in New Brunswick.
Monday’s announcement indicated the expected project cost is $42 million.
Time will tell if that proves to be the case, but we’re doubtful.
Capital construction cost estimates rarely seem to work out to be as restrained as anyone hopes, but setting aside the economic optimism that always seems to go into public-sector cost projections, one has to consider this project has already cost taxpayers money. And that’s before anything of substance has even occurred yet.
First of all, the Grand Lake incarnation of the project, as just noted, is earmarked at $42 million. But the cost of the original Fredericton version of the jail was touted in the December 2021 announcement as $32 million.
So we’re already up $10 million before a single shovel full of dirt has been moved.
Furthermore, government has already expended resources in its proposal of the initial Fredericton jail endeavour. It had already developed a design, based on the Dalhousie Regional Correctional Centre.
The Grand Lake project announcement, though, points to the design process starting over from scratch.
“A request for proposal for the facility’s design has been filed and an announcement will be made when a design has been chosen,” Monday’s release states.
The $42-million estimate also doesn’t account for the many costs that will flow naturally from the establishment and operation of the jail, most notably in terms of staffing.
Existing jails are routinely plagued by staffing shortages, and the addition of a new facility and its new complement of cells will require more human resources, even if the number of inmates in the province remains relatively the same.
The province is essentially developing a plan for corrections that will increase its costs while maintaining the same level of service.
Perhaps part of the plan after the Grand Lake jail is built will be to shutter one of New Brunswick’s older jails, but if part of the justification is to deal with exceeding capacities, building a new jail only to close another one wouldn’t seem to achieve that goal.
Ultimately, pushing a new jail is another incarnation of the usual “tough on crime” rhetoric that seems so common a refrain among politicians these days - especially conservative ones.
Criminology, law and health experts have said for years that a more effective way to reduce crime is to address the root causes that lead people to commit them. Crime isn’t the problem: it’s a symptom of the real problems. Addictions, poverty and mental-health challenges - and frequently, a tragic combination of those issues - are almost universally at the heart of the most onerous cases that unfold in courts - be it in New Brunswick or just about any other jurisdiction.
Austin has rejected the studies, dismissed the voices of experts. It’s easy to understand why, though. The more effective solutions would be expensive in the short term, even if they would promise economic relief in the long term, and they would represent efforts that require nuance, patience and compassion.
But locking away a perceived problem, out of sight, feels more immediate, more productive.
Alas, it solves nothing, addresses no social ills. It’s a temporary fix, shunting the issue off for a few months or a couple of years at least.
Note: An earlier version of this editorial erroneously indicated city council nixed the jail project. We regret the error.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
I don't recall you doing an article on the ballooning cost of the Fredericton Payhouse....Oops, Playhouse, whose estimates have gone from 45 million to 81 million, and the small numbers of people who will use it. And, if you're trying to imply something fishy about the new Institution going into Minister Kris Austin's riding, you've got the wrong fella to try to catch. He's one of the rare, but honest, politicians. But, thanks for covering this news item so quickly. Nice job!
I agree with the experts. We need to address the social problems. There is not enough long term detox beds in the province, our mental health services are seriously lacking, as well as addictions counseling.
Compared to the life many of these people live, jail is hardly a deterrent. 3 meals a day, a gym to work out in, reunite with some old buddies, someone does your laundry for you.
We really need to think about the long term here, not short term solutions.