N.B. news: Grand Lake jail construction to go ahead [Video]

The New Brunswick Liberal government says construction of a $66-million jail in Grand Lake will move forward, after raising the possibility of the project’s cancellation last week.

Public Safety Minster Robert Gauvin said the new government’s re-evaluation determined the project’s location was appropriate after all.

“A responsible government reviews every project,” Gauvin told reporters on Thursday. “We wanted to make sure we had the facts right.”

Gauvin said there’s a clear need for additional correctional spaces, with consistent overcrowding in the province,

“Since I’ve become minister, every day I get the stats,” said Gauvin. “There’s not a day where we’re under 100 per cent capacity.”

Gauvin said the Grand Lake review found a high level of social-acceptance in the area for such a facility, adding that concerns about the centre’s proximity to a hospital (about 45 minutes) were still being looked at.

Premier Susan Holt made a Facebook post on Wednesday evening confirming the Grand Lake project would go ahead, as well as offering …