Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility & East Coast Forensic Hospital
Location: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Status: In Operation
Provincial/Federal/Municipal: Provincial
Date of Financial Close: 1999
Date of Substantial Completion: 2001
Type of P3: DBFMOT
Total Dollar Amount: $60 million
Handback: 2026 (buying back for $18 million)
Inaugurated in October 2001, The Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility and East Coast Forensic Hospital complex introduced a new model for delivering justice and health services in Nova Scotia.
The 277,000 sq. foot facility was the first in Canada to co-locate a correctional institution and a forensic psychiatric hospital on the same site. While physically connected, the two facilities operate independently, ensuring that offenders and forensic patients remain separate while benefiting from shared infrastructure and coordinated services.
Co-location reduced the need for out-of-province medical transfers and improved continuity of care, while shared services have generated operational efficiencies and ongoing cost savings for the province. The new facilities also replaced four aging facilities in Colchester, Lunenburg, Kings and Halifax counties.
The Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility, the province's largest jail, has capacity for up to 322 male and 48 female adults in custody. It includes secure living units, work and educational spaces, recreation areas and programming facilities that support rehabilitation and reintegration.
The East Coast Forensic Hospital provides specialized psychiatric care for individuals involved in the justice system. The hospital includes two 30-bed rehabilitation units for patients found unfit to stand trial or not criminally responsible, as well as a shared 24-bed unit for offenders requiring inpatient care.
Since opening, the facility has provided a safer and more therapeutic environment for offenders, patients and staff. The complex continues to evolve, with subsequent investments supporting upgrades to security systems and the transition to direct-supervision models within the correctional facility. The project remains a notable example of integrated justice and health infrastructure in Canada.
In 1999, the government signed agreements with a private consortium to design, build and own a correctional and forensic facility in the Burnside Industrial Park. The province agreed to lease the facility and also make payments based on the consortium’s cost to maintain the facility. The lease has an initial term of 25 years, with an option to purchase the facility or renew the lease for an additional five years.
In 2021, the province announced it would pay $18 million to buy the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility and the East Coast Forensic Hospital. The purchase will occur in 2026 when the P3 agreement expires.
Partners:
Public: Nova Scotia Department of Justice and Department of Health
Private: Read Management Limited, Alderney CFF Limited
