A new building is going up near downtown Abbotsford which will serve as the regional headquarters for Correctional Service of Canada.
The Pacific Region HQ (for B.C. and Yukon) is being constructed at 33991 Gladys Ave., near the Mill Tower and Salvation Army buildings. It will house 295 employees working in various corrections departments, including executive services, security coordination, finance and human resources.
Alain Charette, regional communications manager, said the building will be leased from Cyril Developments of Abbotsford. The 15-year lease sets occupancy as beginning in May 2012.
He said the new headquarters will be an upgrade from present corrections’ facilities, which include two buildings on Simon Avenue, and a third site. Corrections has been on Simon Avenue since 1992. They have enough space for 182 employees under government standards, but corrections has 78 employees more than that in Abbotsford, and others who work from home.
“So we need more room, and we need to consolidate our operations,” said Charette.
The new HQ will have 5,000 square metres of space on three storeys, and will consolidate all Pacific Region administration under one roof.
Charette said that consolidation will increase communication between departments, reduce travel between sites and create other efficiencies.
There will be no direct offender services offered at the site.