Construction contract awarded for B.C. Immigration Holding Centre

LEC Engineering Contracting, based in North Vancouver, B.C., has been awarded a $23.1 million contract for the construction of an Immigration Holding Centre (IHC) in Surrey, B.C.

Construction work includes interior and exterior renovations, roofing replacement, structural upgrades and landscape improvements, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades.

The immigration detention centre will be located at 13130 76 Avenue, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police facility. It will have the capacity for up to 73 detainees.

LEC is expected to retrofit the facility to become the centre, which will replace the existing short-term IHC at Vancouver International Airport. Construction is expected to be complete by November 2018.

“Our government is committed to investing in repairs and retrofits to its wide range of properties and buildings,” said Carla Qualtrough, minister of public services and procurement.

“This federal building will become an accessible and modern facility that meets today’s health, safety and environmental standards. This project will in turn create local business opportunities and jobs in the construction industry.”

In addition to local jobs, the project is expected to create as many as 200 apprenticeship opportunities in various trades, including mechanical, electrical, drywall, carpentry and roofing.

The tendering process for the contract was initiated in June 2017.

Investment for the contract was made under the Government of Canada’s National Immigration Detention Framework (NIDF), which includes funding to improve immigration detention infrastructure and reduce reliance on provincial correctional facilities to house immigration detainees.

The NIDF includes up to $138 million over five years. The framework aims improve IHCs through humane detention conditions and improved detainee well being.

An improved IHC in Laval, Que., is slated to open in 2021. Significant renovations will take place at an IHC in Toronto, Ont., and are expected to be complete by July 2018.

SOURCE: Public Services and Procurement Canada