Child-care spaces, housing to be developed on former Portage la Prairie youth correctional facility site

A parcel of land that once housed a youth correctional facility in Portage la Prairie, Man., is planned to be redeveloped into new housing and child-care spaces.

"This is about turning a very difficult chapter in our community to something hopeful," Mayor Sharilyn Knox told CBC News on Friday. 

The project will be housed at the site of the former Agassiz Youth Centre. Manitoba's previous Progressive Conservative government closed down the facility in 2022, after declining numbers of youth in custody left the facility less than 30 per cent occupied. 

The building was demolished and the land divided into two parcels. One of them was used to build the city's new hospital while the rest was transferred to the city. It has remained largely undeveloped since, Knox said.

Portage la Prairie put in a request to the province in December to get about $1.2 million, left over from the demolition costs, which amounted to only about $345,000, according to a news release from the province Friday. 

The funds will be transferred to Portage la Prairie to create community support for the hospital, the provincial government announced on Friday.

"We're thrilled," Knox said. "We've been throwing around a lot of ideas and what we want to see there." 

Turning a corner

Before anything can be built, the city needs to do some historical work on the land and make sure there's base infrastructure for any development — like subdivisions and a new road. 

"That's what these funds will help us with," Knox said.

Plans are still in development about what exactly would go on the site. Knox said they are hoping to build child-care spaces. 

"It would help with not only providing service to people who would already work in the new [hospital], but of course help for recruitment in the future," she said.  

While Portage la Prairie has seen new child-care spots open over time, there are still families on a waiting list for one. The city is also considering building housing and commercial spaces.  

"All of those things are of need in our community," she said. "We have a growing population, we have a strong industry … so we look forward to being able to have that land ready."

But Knox said with the investment, there's also hope Portage la Prairie "can turn a corner." Shuttering the centre was devastating for the city, she said.

"That was not only jobs, services, but it was a place that supported vulnerable youth in our community and in the province," she said. 

"It really definitely had a mark on our community."