Ottawa’s plans to spend $1.3 billion to build a new hospital for inmates in New Brunswick is misguided and a “profound misallocation of resources,” Correctional Investigator of Canada Ivan Zinger says in his annual report released Thursday.

Instead, the ombudsman for inmates within the federal correctional system calls on the government to rely on partnerships with provincial facilities for acute mental health services.

“[Correctional Service Canada] could have funded enhanced bed capacity through provincial partnerships — an approach that would be more humane, cost-effective and sustainable over the long term. The $1.3 billion allocated could cover the costs of such a model for decades to come,” said Zinger.

He denounced the fact the federal project will be built next to the Dorchester

See Full Page