The Quebec prison is the worst in the province: it would take $142 million to refurbish it

The Quebec Detention Facility is in such a pitiful state that no less than $142 million would need to be invested to restore it to its former glory, placing it at the forefront of the province’s prisons in this regard… and far.

The correctional officers at the establishment have been saying it for several years: Orsainville prison lacks love. We now have proof.

Thanks to a request for access to information, The Journal learned that in 2024, the Quebec Detention Facility had received an “E” rating for its wear and tear, assessed by the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI).

This is the worst rating possible. “It would be an “F” if the rating scale went that far. It’s falling into disrepair,” laments the president of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec, Mathieu Lavoie.

However, for at least ten years now, the state of the prison, housing more than 750 inmates, has been alarming.

With a “D” rating in 2016, the cost of work to be carried out within 0 to 5 years to maintain the condition of the building was estimated at $41.9M. It would now take a little more than $142M.

Rapid deterioration

In addition to the Quebec Detention Establishment, only two other establishments received an “E” rating in 2024. These are the Tanguay women’s prison, which was closed due to obsolescence in 2016, and the Hull Detention Establishment.

The latter’s condition deteriorated exponentially in just a few years. Its rating was a “C” in 2020 and even an “A” four years earlier. More than $53M is now needed to restore the building.

“It’s not complicated, the water goes into the walls and the bricks fall into the old section,” says Mr. Lavoie.

For its part, the SQI emphasizes that a building can be considered dilapidated without being dangerous for its occupants, but that it makes a duty to make government authorities aware of the necessary actions when this is the case.

“If a section of the facilities represents an imminent risk for incarcerated people or employees, it will be repaired urgently and, in the meantime, the section will be closed,” specifies Anne-Marie Gagnon, spokesperson for the company.

Poor security

For Mr. Lavoie, the data obtained by The Journal show that we are not investing enough in our prisons. A “worrying” phenomenon since this lack of investment would have a direct impact on the daily lives of correctional officers.

When there are problems with electricity, windows or radio waves, the unionist gives as an example, the security of the establishment cannot be adequately ensured.

“Citizens must understand that it is not for the comfort of incarcerated people that we need these investments, it is for the protection of all,” he explains.

The SQI, for its part, invests on average nearly $25 million annually, for the past five years, for the maintenance of detention centers. Under the Quebec Infrastructure Program, more than $330 million is planned for this purpose for the next 10 years.

The reconstruction of the Montreal Women’s Detention Establishment, to replace the Tanguay women’s prison, will begin in January 2026 at the earliest and is estimated at nearly $400 million.