WINNIPEG -- The leader of the Opposition in Manitoba says his party is committed to building a new correctional centre in Dauphin that's focused on rehabilitation.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew was reacting to news the Progressive Conservative government will close the century-old Dauphin Correctional Centre this spring, forcing its 80 employees to either relocate or find new jobs.

Kinew says in a statement that the NDP is committed to making sure there are good jobs in rural communities, and to making rural communities safer.

The government has said it will spend $11 million  to expand and renovate the city's courthouse.