Former Edmonton Remand Centre building to be torn down

The former Edmonton Remand Centre at 97 Street and 104 Avenue will be torn down, the province announced on Wednesday.

"The remand centre was built specifically as a corrections facility and it would not be cost effective for the government or private sector to repurpose for any other use," the province said in a news release.

A request for proposal has been issued for demolition.

Demolition is expected to start in June 2023 and take about 18 months.

After the building is torn down, the land will either be sold or repurposed.

The building has not been used to house inmates since 2013 when the new Edmonton Remand Centre opened.

The province says the building was used for a training site, as a temporary severe weather shelter by Boyle Street Community Services, and as a filming location for various film and television projects between 2013 and 2019.

It was decommissioned in 2019, as were all building facilities and utilities, which the province says has saved $1 million a year in upkeep costs.

The building was constructed in 1979 and is about 18,500 square metres.