Public works and infrastructure ·
Ontario awards CAD $178 million Quinte detention centre expansion contract
By Workvado / Litequo LLC · Published · Updated
Infrastructure Ontario and the Solicitor General selected EBC for a fixed-price expansion in Greater Napanee that is intended to add 91 beds and enlarge health, admissions, visitation and staff areas.
Infrastructure Ontario and Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General announced on October 26 that EBC Inc. had received a fixed-price contract valued at CAD $178 million for the Quinte Detention Centre expansion in Greater Napanee. The province says the project will add space for 91 inmates and increase the institution’s overall capacity to more than 300. Planned work includes additions to reception and visitation, admissions and discharge, health services and the infirmary, and the Institutional Crisis Intervention Team, as well as expanded recreational areas. The announcement marks the selection of a construction contractor after a procurement process that began with qualifications in October 2024. It is not a report that the expansion is already complete: Infrastructure Ontario says construction is expected to begin later in 2026.
The program is broader than adding sleeping capacity. Infrastructure Ontario’s project page identifies a range of operational spaces slated for expansion: executive administration, staff facilities, new public and staff entrances, infirmary and health services, and ICIT functions. It also lists parking for staff and visitors and increased capacity for female inmates. That mix makes the project a secure institutional facility expansion, with public-facing areas, staff circulation and clinical functions alongside the additional beds. The contract announcement does not give floor area, building-system specifications or a detailed construction sequence. Those elements should not be guessed from the program list. For contractors, the distinction matters because each functional area can impose different access, privacy, safety and service-continuity requirements, while the contract documents will define exactly how those needs are translated into design and construction obligations.
The procurement record shows how the project reached contract award. Infrastructure Ontario says a request for qualifications was issued in October 2024. Four companies were shortlisted in November 2025 and invited to respond to a request for proposals. When the RFP closed on June 25, 2026, three firms—EBC, EllisDon and Pomerleau—had submitted proposals. The province said a fairness monitor oversaw the process and that the preferred proponent would be announced in fall 2026, subject to final approvals. The October 26 award completed that publicly described selection stage. It followed a competitive process lasting roughly two years from the initial RFQ to award. That chronology is useful for contractors tracking public-sector delivery: early qualifications, shortlisted teams, proposal submission and final contract award are separate milestones, and each stage gives the market a different level of information about potential work.
Infrastructure Ontario identifies the delivery model as design-bid-build. The agency describes that model as giving the owner increased control and flexibility to respond to changes and concerns. In a conventional design-bid-build structure, design and construction procurement are distinct phases, though the actual roles and obligations for Quinte are governed by the project agreements and contract documents. The public source lists Stantec Architecture Ltd. as architect of record. For trade contractors and suppliers, the award provides a named prime contractor, but does not itself announce subcontract awards, package scopes, work calendars or a complete schedule. Firms interested in supply-chain opportunities should look to EBC and the project’s procurement channels for current requirements. They should not treat the public announcement as a solicitation or assume that a particular trade package remains available.
The facility is operating as a detention centre while the expansion is planned, so coordination with ongoing operations is a central project question. The public announcement describes new public and staff entrances and additions to core functions such as admissions, health services and visitation. Those areas connect to secure movement through the site and to the institution’s daily services. The release does not explain whether construction will occur in discrete phases, what temporary circulation arrangements are planned, or what restrictions will apply to deliveries and access. Contractors should obtain those details from the project’s construction documents and site orientation. Work near an active justice facility can require clear separation between construction activity and operational areas, controlled access for workers, and careful coordination of noise, utilities and movement. These are planning considerations raised by the nature of the program, not assertions about the specific site’s undisclosed procedures.
The project page connects the expansion to Ontario’s aim of increasing adult correctional capacity at several facilities, with stated concern for staff and inmate safety and adequate capacity in the short and long term. The Quinte project itself is expected to add 91 beds and take the facility beyond 300 beds. Those numbers describe planned capacity; they do not establish staffing levels, the centre’s occupancy at award or the province’s overall detention requirements. Nor does the contract announcement state when the additional beds will become operational. From a capital-project perspective, the award converts a planned project into a contracted delivery commitment, but construction, commissioning and operations readiness still lie ahead. Site teams will need to coordinate building completion with equipment, security systems, staffing, operating procedures and approvals before the added capacity can be used.
For builders, the practical work is to turn a secure, multi-function program into a controlled construction plan. Bids and subcontracts should account for interfaces between additions and the existing facility, including services tie-ins, access controls, commissioning and protection of occupied operations. The published materials are not detailed enough to establish whether any particular building system will be upgraded or which construction methods will be used. They do show why interface management will matter: the project touches entrances, health areas, visitation, staff functions, recreation and parking, not just a single residential block. Delivery teams can use the award as an early signal to review upcoming procurement and workforce needs, then rely on formal drawings, specifications and site rules for estimating. Suppliers may also want to confirm lead times for products whose approval or security standards are governed by the project documents.
The event to report is the October 26 contract award to EBC for CAD $178 million, following three submitted proposals in June and a public procurement process with a fairness monitor. The construction start was still prospective in the announcement, expected later in 2026. The stated scope adds 91 beds and expands support spaces that are part of running the institution. For contractors in eastern Ontario, the next useful signals will be the mobilization schedule, subcontract procurement and detailed site requirements from the delivery team. On site, success will depend on coordinating additions with the centre’s operational needs while meeting the contracted cost and schedule. The award gives the market a verified project value, builder and program outline; the tender and contract documents remain the source for actual scope, safety controls, staging and commercial terms.
- Fixed-price contract
- CAD $178 million, awarded October 26, 2026
- Added capacity
- 91 inmate beds
- Planned total capacity
- More than 300 beds
- Procurement proposals received
- 3 proposals by June 25, 2026 RFP close
Sources
- Contract Awarded for Quinte Detention Centre Expansion Project, Infrastructure Ontario, read October 27, 2026
- Quinte Detention Centre Expansion, Infrastructure Ontario, read October 27, 2026
- Request for Proposals Closed for Quinte Detention Centre Expansion Project, Infrastructure Ontario, read October 27, 2026