Province scratches plan to build new jail in Fredericton

The New Brunswick government says it will no longer build a provincial jail in Fredericton after hearing concerns from residents.

The announcement came in a three-sentence news release sent late Monday afternoon.

CBC tried to reach the Department of Justice and Public Safety by phone and email, but no response was received by publication time.

The release says the government is looking at a location outside the city "to minimize any perceived impact upon residents."

That location was not identified in the release.

The $42-million jail was originally supposed to be built near the Vanier Industrial Park on Fredericton's south side.

Past controversy

The City of Fredericton approved the zoning amendment in late January, but not without pushback from community members.

Before the rezoning request went to council, Fredericton's planning advisory committee recommended council reject the rezoning.

During the first and second reading of the motion, around 100 people filled the viewing gallery. At that council meeting, concerns brought forward by speakers included fears that a jail could hurt the property values of nearby homes, while some said they would no longer feel safe with a jail located a few kilometres from where they and their children live.

Other speakers weren't against the proposed location, but were against the use of jails in general as a means to rehabilitate criminal offenders.

At the third and final reading of the motion, the 7-4 vote in favour of the rezoning was met with heckling from some of the roughly 75 spectators.

CBC requested an interview with the city, but was provided with a statement. A city spokesperson said the province has made the decision and "any questions about the rationale should be directed to the provincial government."

The province announced plans to build a 109-bed jail in December 2021, setting aside $2.5 million in the 2022-23 capital budget to plan and design the new building and acquire the land where it would be built.

In a news release announcing the project, then-public safety minister Ted Flemming said the system was stretched to capacity and that "crimes requiring incarceration have been trending up, including trafficking, production and distribution of controlled substances."

Last year, CBC News asked the province for all records that detail the need for a new jail, such as those that discuss the business case for the jail or capacity issues within existing correctional centres.

The Department of Justice and Public Safety refused to provide any records in response to that request, saying all the records are exempted under sections of the right-to-information law that protect confidential cabinet documents and advice to a cabinet minister.

The department also refused to provide copies to the provincial ombud, Marie-France Pelletier, whose office handles complaints about right to information, but later changed its mind and gave the ombud copies of records detailing the business case.