Mark Gerretsen announces permanent correctional services academy in Kingston

MP for Kingston and the Islands Mark Gerretsen announced the opening of an interim correctional services teaching institution on Friday, the first step in settling the academy permanently in Kingston.

Although the interim location, situated at the Correctional Service Canada offices on Union Street West, will serve as the current facilities, a new permanent academy was announced on Friday. It will be built on the grounds of Collin’s Bay Institution, but in a separate building from the penitentiary. Construction of the new academy is set to begin in 2021 and finish in 2024, costing projected for the new building. Nick Fabiano, Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources for CSC says the location will give them everything they need.

“We have numerous operations here in Kingston. We have a great amount of staff that we can draw on to be trainers,” Fabiano says. “Ultimately when we looked across the country, Kingston was the right fit.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have numerous operations here in Kingston. We have a great amount of staff that we can draw on to be trainers," Fabiano says. "Ultimately when we looked across the country, Kingston was the right fit."

The Correctional Services training academy was previously located at the RCMP Depot Division in Regina, Sask., but was relocated to Kingston in April. Communications advisor at Correctional Service Canada Megan Hooper says that sharing the training academy with the RCMP was no longer possible, which is why the location was moved to Kingston.

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“As a result of the RCMP’s need to train more recruits, the Depot location could no longer be shared due to capacity limitations; therefore, CSC had to relocate its National Training Academy,” Hooper wrote in an email.

Significant renovations were done on the interim location to prepare it for opening, Hooper said, with a total cost of $7.4 million.

Simulation areas, classrooms, as well as a kitchen and dining hall were all added to the interim location. The different areas allow new recruits to be immersed into a variety of scenarios, including a cell block simulation room. Fabiano says the complex training prepares them for whatever may come their way in the field.

“The idea here is that we are trying to ensure they acquire the skills and the competencies needed to be professional correctional officers,” Fabiano says. “The real simulations allow us to ensure they are ready to take on the demanding profession.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The idea here is that we are trying to ensure they acquire the skills and the competencies needed to be professional correctional officers," Fabiano says. "The real simulations allow us to ensure they are ready to take on the demanding profession."

Recruits have already started training at the interim location. Justin Agnew-Clark tells CKWS he has been impressed by how innovative the training is.

“A lot of our education is more scenario-based,” Agnew-Clark said. “We have to incorporate the learning as we go along into different scenario.”

The current facility will be equipped to accommodate three troops of 32 recruits at a time, with a goal to turn out more than 12 troops annually.

Federal correctional recruits will train there, as well as existing correctional staff, who will attend the academy for continuous training.