Construction contract awarded for women’s corrections facility in Fort Smith

News Releases

Fort Smith (August 13, 2015) – The contract for the design and construction of the new adult women’s correctional facility in Fort Smith has been awarded to C.A.B. Construction Ltd. of Fort Smith with a winning proposal of just over $23.5 million. The new facility will have capacity for 23 women and will be built on MacDougal Road next to the existing facility for male inmates. 

“The people of Fort Smith have a long history of supporting the operation of Corrections facilities in their community,” said Minister of Justice David Ramsay. “By building on the same site as the existing centre for men, we will be able to realize efficiencies in food services, utilities and administration. We look forward to the opening of this building in the spring of 2018 and continuing our partnership with the community.”

Design is currently underway and construction on the new facility is expected to begin in spring 2016. The design will have provisions for inmates’ needs including spirituality and special programming areas along with appropriate security requirements, and potential future expansion.  The current women’s facility opened in Fort Smith in the early 1990s with the goal of assisting inmates in a supportive and culturally appropriate environment to address the needs that led to their incarceration.  The new facility will continue this legacy.

The current structure housing women inmates will be decommissioned and no longer used as a Corrections facility.

For more information:

Sue Glowach
Senior Communications Advisor
867-920-3130
Sue_glowach@gov.nt.ca