A new prison near Oliver is on track to being complete, but before it will start housing inmates, it must finish hiring 300 staff positions.
B.C. Corrections said the Okanagan Correctional Centre (O.C.C.) has already filled 190 positions. Many with job offers have started moving to south Okanagan.
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“Whenever I bump into new residents, very often it is because they’ve come here to retire. Now we have residents coming here for career opportunities,” said Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes.
Matthew Lewis, a RE/MAX realtor, said prison staff have been shopping for housing in the area.
“It has helped improve the Oliver market here in the last 18 months to two years. We’ve really noticed an increase in sales for single-family homes, as well as condos and townhouses,” he said.
The mayor said the O.C.C. has also triggered two new housing developments and continues to stimulate the economy.
“There’s all kinds of activities, not just housing starts, but business starts, and there’s commercial property that’s been sitting vacant for 40 years that’s turning hands now,” Hovanes explained.
B.C. Corrections is still looking to fill 70 correctional officer positions. A final information session is scheduled for Sunday, July 10 at the Penticton Days Inn from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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