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An Edmonton city councillor wants to see the mothballed remand centre in the city’s downtown demolished.

Four years after prisoners were moved from the facility to its high-tech replacement in suburban northwest Edmonton, the building remains mostly unused while the province continues to mull its options.

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“Ideally, I would like to see it knocked down and something new resurrected on the site,” said downtown Coun. Scott McKeen. “There have been a lot of proposals, but how expensive would it be to retrofit?”

Past suggestions for the provincial facility have included turning it into artists’ spaces, affordable housing or a homeless shelter.

While McKeen said he wouldn’t object to a housing project, he wants to avoid adding another outreach-only centre for Edmonton’s vulnerable population to the area.

“I know (Chinatown business owners) will be extremely skeptical if the remand (centre) gets used for outreach and social services again,” McKeen said. “We need to do proper permanent housing facilities.”