Women's wing at PGRCC remains unoccupied

Two-and-a-half months after the provincial government announced it was close to completion, the new women's wing at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre remains unoccupied.

The ongoign delay is is problematic, said a representative of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union.

Dean Purdy, chair the union's correctional services component, said the seven cells reserved for women in the main building are full all the time.

"It's a constant battle," he said. "In fact, it happens quite often that women have to sleep on the floor because of the overcrowded situation there and they're constantly shipping women down to the Lower Mainland to house them there.

"A delay like this is just going to make it more onerous on our staff and make it more tense inside that jail."

Purdy said the new wing is not expected to open until Dec. 10 or 15.

Women inmates at the PGRCC "will soon be moving into a new 20-cell building," the provincial government said Sept. 13, as the $11.5-million project neared completion.

Purdy said he was not sure why it's taken so long but understands it's construction related.

City current planning and development manager Nelson Wight said a "provisional" occupancy permit was issued on Nov. 19 after engineers signed off on their work and a city inspector had completed a "walk through" to verify the work had been completed.

The permit allows the building to be occupied although one last bit of work, installation of a water meter, needs to be completed.

"With these buildings, the industrial, institutional, commercial and multi-families, we're putting a lot more reliance on the engineer because they presumably would be there to supervise all the work," Wight said.

Once open, the new wing will provide room for about 40 women in 20 cells. It also holds classrooms, a sewing and laundry room, rooms for legal counsel, probation meetings and court appearances by video, a kitchen, gym and outdoor common area.

Provincial government officials were unable to comment late Wednesday but in a statement issued in mid November, a spokesperson for the ministry of public safety and solicitor general said the city has been "co-operative and supportive as this project has moved forward" and the facility was expected to be operational by the end of the month.

"For security reasons, we cannot publicize a specific occupancy date," the official said on background.