The replacement of Her Majesty’s Penitentiary will be a reality according to Justice Minister Andrew Parsons.

The replacement of the prison built in 1859 was announced in April ahead of the provincial election, but has been relatively quiet since.

Parsons says it was no election ploy. One of the issues is that prisons often come behind infrastructure needs like schools and hospitals in terms of political importance.

He says the reality is that the province needs a new correctional facility, and it will be a reality. $600,000 was set aside in the budget, which Parsons claims is proceeding when it comes to the designs and build.

The minister says their goal was to have a Request for Proposals out in Spring 2020, and that is still on schedule.

When it comes to any infrastructure build, Parsons says they take years.

He says this is based on a five-year plan, similar to the process used for new hospital in Corner Brook. Parsons says he is confident it’ll be done on schedule, and he looks forward to it.