$2.5 million jail fence 'outrageous'
Construction to begin next spring on 490-metre long fence at North Slave Correctional Centre
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, November 5, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
One MLA says $2.5 million seems like an "outrageous" price for fencing to be constructed at the North Slave Correctional Centre.
However, Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins, Yellowknife Centre MLA, said the Department of Justice plans to begin constructing two chain-link fences on the property next spring.
One is a new perimeter fence described as a "good neighbour" fence, designed to designate the jail's property line, according to Kim Schofield, director of finance for the justice department.
The second fence, 490 metres in total, will enclose the spiritual healing area at the jail. It will be 14 feet high and will curve inward at the top, making it virtually impossible to scale and climb over.
The idea behind the new fence is that it would allow higher-risk inmates to also participate in the spiritual healing programs, said Schofield.
"This fence has always been part of the centre's overall plan since it was built about a decade ago," she said.
"For a number of reasons, it had been put on hold but it has now received budget approval and construction is to begin this spring."
The government hired a firm to design the fence for the healing area. Schofield said requests for proposals to build the fence will go out shortly.
"Five hundred thousand dollars has been budgeted for it this year, $1.5 million for next year and another $500,000 in 2016 when we expect to have the fence completed," she said.
"What it's going to do is allow more inmates to participate in the spiritual healing program. It has been running without a fence which means inmates who have been deemed a possible escape risk by their case managers have been prevented from joining the program. The fence will now allow more of them to take part," she said.
When finished, the fence will enclose an area housing a spiritual lodge, a sweat lodge, a fire-feeding/talking circle tent and a gazebo.
There has never been an escape from the North Slave Correctional Centre which went into operation in 2004, said Schofield.
"The fence is not just being built to stop a possible escape," said Schofield. "It also acts as a deterrent from people trying to throw drugs or other contraband to an inmate on the NSCC property."
While momentum is building for the fence, the spiritual healing program has been without a co-ordinator since June. This has hampered the program although parts of it have continued, including the healing circle, which is being led by elders.
"Officials apparently offered the job to someone else, but they turned it down," said Hawkins of the co-ordinator position.
"To my knowledge, the fence was never sold to MLAs as a safety mechanism for the spiritual area. However, why would we spend $2.5 million for a fence to protect a program that doesn't have a leader?"
Inmates at the correctional centre lost their privileges to go outside for four days in November of last year after a hole was found in a fence at the facility.
Della Fraser, the co-listing agent for Coldwell Banker which is selling homes in the nearby Lakeshore Development, said security and safety at the jail has not been a obstacle to people buying homes.
"Houses and trailers have been built and bought in that area since the facility opened," she said.
"They've had no previous escapes, I don't think potential home buyers aren't buying in that area due to security at the jail, fence or no fence."
There are no windows looking out from the jail facing the homes so there are no issues with inmates looking out or the public looking in, she said.
