Province adding 150 beds through new modular builds
As part of its plan to protect Ontario and keep communities safe, the Ontario government is investing more than $180 million to increase capacity at correctional facilities across the province. The Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold, the Cecil Facer Youth Centre in Sudbury and the Vanier Centre for Women in Milton will be expanded to create 150 new beds and give frontline staff the space they need to do their jobs safely.
“Our government is taking decisive action to protect Ontario and keep dangerous and repeat offenders off our streets,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner. “By expanding correctional facilities and bringing new beds online faster, we are strengthening our ability to hold criminals accountable and ensure that inmates serve their sentences in secure, modern spaces.”
Bird Construction Inc. has been awarded the contract to design and build the innovative modular expansions, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026. In addition to new beds, the expanded facilities will offer enhanced rehabilitation programs, including literacy, job skills and technology training.
Quick Facts
- Since 2024, 110 additional beds have been added to adult correctional facilities across the province, with 665 more to be added by the end of 2026.
- The modular build facilities are delivered through Infrastructure Ontario which aims to deliver projects more efficiently using accelerated procurement processes and modular construction methods.
- Similar infrastructure expansion projects at the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre and Kenora Jail were completed in Fall 2022.
- By 2028, the Cecil Facer Youth Centre in Sudbury will be repurposed into an adult correctional facility to provide additional capacity and programming in northern Ontario.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
