The Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC) is a correctional facility in

Goodridge Corners, Edmonton Goodridge Corners is a future neighbourhood in northwest Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Subdivision and development of the neighbourhood will be guided by the Goodridge Corners Neighbourhood Area Structure Plan (NASP), which was adopted by Edmonton Ci ...

, Alberta, Canada. The facility is operated by the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General of

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. The original

correctional facility In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agency, government agencies, and involving the punishment, ...

originally opened in 1979. After overcrowding and additional bed space was required, a second facility was proposed and completed in 2012. The new facility named the New Edmonton Remand Centre (NERC) opened on April 12, 2013, and is currently Canada's largest prison.

Background

Remand centres are provincial or territorial jails where people awaiting trial for charges they have not yet been convicted of are held for up to two years. Since 2004, adults in remand have outnumbered adults serving sentences in provincial institutions. The highest rates are in Alberta and Ontario, where in 2019 roughly 70% of incarcerated people in remand centres were awaiting trial or sentencing.

History

Original facility

The original 12-storey Edmonton Remand Centre was built in 1979. The facility was located in

downtown Edmonton Downtown Edmonton is the central business district of Edmonton, Alberta. Located at the geographical centre of the city, the downtown area is bounded by 109 Street to the west, 105 Avenue to the north, 97 Street to the east, 97 Avenue and Rossdale ...

and cost $138.0 million in 1979. The original set capacity was 388; however, the facility population grew to 800 in early 2012. The original facility closed in April 2013. Demolition began in June 2023, and is expected to be completed by 2025.

New facility

Proposals to build a new facility originated in the early 2000s after overcrowding in the original facility. In 2007 construction began on the new Edmonton Remand Centre with a cost of $580.0 million. The newer facility was completed in fall of 2012, with the new prison operating in spring 2013. The newer facility features a 2,000-inmate capacity and new security technologies. The new facility structure aimed at targeting

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

(LEED) silver certifications. The New Remand Centre is the largest in Canada by area and capacity, but is not the largest by number of inmates currently serving time.

References

External links