The Opposition Justice Critic says staffing concerns at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary show the need for a new prison in the province.

PC MHA Helen Conway Ottenheimer says that recent serious human rights challenges in the prison need to be addressed in order to stabilize staffing in the facility.

She says issues at the facility include safety and well-being of guards, mental health of both officers and inmates, access to programs and recreational time, and visitations for inmates.

Conway Ottenheimer says a new facility is desperately needed, and significant delays in building the new prison have only exasperated issues at HMP.

She’s calling for government to get moving on the project.