A single remand centre designed to hold in one location all remanded high-level gang members from across Western Canada is being pitched to corrections ministers as a way to help curb gang-related crime.

The concept would see gang leaders from British Columbia to Manitoba who are in custody and awaiting trial sent to one facility instead of a variety of jails as they are now.

The goal is to curtail access to other inmates who might be recruited into a gang, Darryl Hickie, Saskatchewan's minister of corrections told reporters on Tuesday in Regina.

"Serious offenders who relate to gangs, who end up becoming gang leaders, when they're in remand, that's a recruiting ground for them. A standalone remand centre [would allow for officials] to segregate them out and actually not perpetuate the gang cycle."

Hickie acknowledged that a potential downside of his idea is that by grouping together gang leaders, they are given an opportunity to network among themselves.

"They could, in fact, use that as a business networking opportunity," he said, adding that was "something we don't want to encourage."

At the same time, Hickie said, with the top gang leaders in one place, authorities might be able to reform them.

"With the right level of staff intervention and with some programming initiatives, we also want to look at them as having — maybe we could break the cycle for them as well."

Hickie said the proposal, which he described as preliminary, was on the agenda of a meeting of ministers responsible for corrections set for this Saturday in Calgary.

He said no location had been discussed, but he suggested Saskatchewan could be home to the new remand centre if it goes ahead.