Truro Site Chosen for Secure Treatment Centre

The Nova Scotia government has renewed its commitment to expand residential services for children in government care. The Department of Community Services today updated its plans to build a new secure treatment centre on a portion of the provincially owned property now occupied by the former Nova Scotia Residential Centre in Truro.

Community Services Minister Peter Christie says the new centre will reduce the need to send children out of the province for the care they need.

"Keeping Nova Scotia children and youth close to their families and home communities is so important to ensuring successful treatment outcomes. Having this facility in Nova Scotia will mean a lot to these young people and their families," said Mr. Christie.

The centre will become part of a range of programs for children and youth with emotional and behavioural problems who require out-of-home placements. The range of programs includes secure treatment, foster care, group homes, residential treatment centres and the parent counsellor program.

Secure treatment is a program to help stabilize children with behavioural and emotional problems so they can eventually return to their home communities and families. It is a temporary stop, and children will stay at the centre for up to 90 days.

A request for proposals to design and build the new facility will be issued in September. That month, the department will also host information sessions to give community members a chance to ask questions about the project.

Building the secure treatment centre will create about 45 construction jobs and 30 indirect jobs in the Truro area. When operational, the centre will employ over 30 staff, mostly highly trained specialists in the field of secure treatment.

Tenders for construction of the facility will be called in the spring of 2001. The centre is scheduled to open in the fall of 2001.