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Canadian Pension Plan
Investment Board (CPPIB)
Jul 6, 2019 theguardian.com
Canada pension fund quietly divests from US migrant detention firms
CPPIB pulls
investments in CoreCivic and Geo Group
Unannounced move
follows Guardian report on holdings
One of Canada’s
biggest pension funds has quietly divested from two private prison operators
responsible for the detention of thousands of migrants along the US-Mexico
border. Late last year, the Guardian reported that the Canadian Pension Plan
Investment Board (CPPIB) held nearly US$8m in stock in Geo Group and CoreCivic, which between them hold the lion’s share of
contracts to manage Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention
facilities in the US. The CPPIB, which manages C$392bn (US$299m) in pension
funds on behalf of 20 million Canadians, did not make a public statement when
it dropped the two companies from its list of foreign public equity holdings,
but the change was spotted this week by the federal MP Charlie Angus, a
member of the opposition New Democratic party. On Friday, he called on the
CPPIB to publicly acknowledge the divestment and take a position on ethical
investing. “Ethical investments are essential to maintaining public
confidence in what the Canadian Pension Plan does, and the investments in Geo
Group and CoreCivic were deeply offensive to Canadian
values,” he told the Guardian. “It’s a crock to say the market should be
blind and we’ll go where we can make the easiest money. I mean, there’s all
kinds of places to make easy money.” The NDP has tabled a bill, C-431, asking
that the pension board abide by greater ethical standards. Angus believes
public pressure convinced the CPPIB to drop its holdings. After the US
migrant crisis began, advocacy groups SumOfUs and LeadNow collected more than 55,000 signatures on
petitions calling for the CPPIB to drop Geo Group and CoreCivic
from its investment portfolio. Activists also attended public CPPIB meetings
to demand divestment. “It’s an amazing testament to [our] members and the
power of people to come together and make real change and say, ‘We don’t want
our pensions funding Trump’s anti-immigration policies,’” said Amelia
Meister, senior campaigner at SumOfUs. The CPPIB
declined to comment.
Central North Correctional Centre
Penentanguishene, Canada
(formerly run by Management and Training Corporation)
November 8, 2006 The Mirror
About 90 per cent of jail employees will continue on at Central North
Correctional Centre when the jail moves from private to public, this week,
and provincial officials say that will ensure a smooth transition.
"We've got a lot of experience in the institution that we're going to be
keeping. So, when it comes down to the actual transition, it's going to be
largely handing over files and inventory and also switching over to ministry
operating procedures," said Stuart McGetrick,
senior communications coordinator for the Ministry of Community Safety &
Correctional Services. "Since we've got the staff and the management
already in place, largely, it's going to be a fairly straight forward process
to transfer a public operation." Ministry officials have been at CNCC
all week to prepare for the transition on Nov. 9. Staff have been briefed in
the processes and procedures of public sector jails but McGetrick
admits that doesn't mean there will be a complete switch this week. He does,
however, credit Management and Training Corporation and the union for their
assistance. "We're very fortunate that we've had excellent cooperation
from MTCC and OPSEU in the lead up to the transition," he said. "We
really anticipate a very smooth transition process."
September 27, 2006 NUPGE CA
The staff at the only private adult jail in Canada will be public
employees again in November, ending a failed five-year privatization
experiment launched by the Conservative government of former Ontario Premier
Mike Harris. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) has
reached an agreement with the province on the procedures to make the transfer
when the contract given by the Tories to Utah-based Management & Training
Corporation (MTC) to operate the Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene expires. OPSEU President Leah Casselman said that she is
pleased that an agreement has been reached and hopes that the transition will
be a smooth one. “Our first concern was always the members currently working
at the facility,” Casselman said. “There is still work to be done, but the
major transition issues have fortunately been dealt with.”
August 25, 2006 The Mirror
Not enough staff at Central North Correctional Centre led to the murder
of inmate Minh Tu on May 5, 2004, charges a Penetanguishene woman. Richard
Quansah was found guilty of first-degree murder and recently sentenced to
life in prison without parole for 25 years for killing Minh Tu, after an
argument over a board game while the two were inmates at the Penetanguishene
prison operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC). Sharon Dion,
chairperson of Citizens Against Private Prisons, told The Mirror she is
surprised more violence has not occurred at the privately-operated jail
because of ongoing problems and lack of staff to deal with them properly.
Dion is known locally and internationally for her knowledge about privatized
prisons, and has lent her expertise to the Ontario government, as well as
correctional organizations throughout Canada and the United States. She says
she was contacted by several upset correctional officers after the May 2004
stabbing who told her that a CO was given a note from an inmate that said
there was a knife in the unit and a 'killing' would take place. However, a
lockdown and search failed to locate the weapon so inmates were allowed out
of their cells. Tu was murdered soon after. "Management was warned that
this was going to happen," said Dion. "They shouldn't have allowed
inmates to come out of their cells until something was found or more
investigation was done. And, of course, because of the outcome, that proves
the theory."
July 26, 2006 Midland Free Press
There is one Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) employee guaranteed
a job once the province takes over operations. Facility administrator Phill
Clough has accepted employment with the ministry, beginning Nov. 10. Ministry
spokesperson Stuart McGetrick and CNCC confirmed
the offer and acceptance to The Mirror. Meanwhile, negotiations have begun
between the province and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)
for correctional officers at Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) to keep
their jobs when the province takes over the operation of the facility. Senior
officials from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services met
with OPSEU's Ministry Employee Relations Committee (MERC) team to discuss the
future of more than 200 correctional officers at the jail. The meeting took
place on July 17 and lasted for a good part of the day. According to OPSEU
spokesperson Don Ford, the initial meeting was simply to lay out each side's
priorities for further talks. "First of all, (our) priority one is to
make sure that the people who are currently working at the jail continue to
work at the jail after the transition," he told The Mirror. "From
that point forward, we would also look for whatever seniority they've
accumulated under the private employer to also continue on to the
ministry." Community Safety & Correctional Services Minister, Monte Kwinter announced in April that the privately-run jail
will be transferred into the public sector when the contract with Utah-based
Management & Training Corporation is up on Nov. 10. To date, employees
have not been told of their fate. When he made the announcement, Kwinter told The Mirror that the province would work with
MTC to make the transition as seamless as possible. He also said there would
be more job opportunities once the jail is in the public fold. "We need
personnel to run that facility and we're going to have an increase in
personnel because we're going to staff it up to the level that we do in
(Lindsay)," he said. "So, what is going to happen, obviously, there
will be opportunities for more jobs." Although Ford spoke to The Mirror,
he cautioned that OPSEU will not report on the progress of the meetings with
the employer. "We are treating this no differently than we treat
bargaining," he said. "We're meeting with the employer and we're
not going to give a status update on those talks, other than to say, 'We're
talking.'"
May 24, 2006 Midland Free Press
Small and quiet, with dark hair and eyes, eight-year-old Sharon
Desjardins never asked for much. What she wanted, she worked hard to get -
and she wanted that baby squirrel more than anything. A boy in her class had
raided its nest and was showing off the tiny black rodent in the schoolyard.
The young girl was known for stepping in and protecting weaker students when
they were being picked on, because it was the right thing to do. This was another
one of the poor souls she was out to save. She promised him a dollar if she
could have it. It was the mid-60s and a dollar was hard to come by.
Desjardins begged and borrowed what she could, counting up her pennies and
pleading with her mom to part with spare change until she had enough to save
the pet she would later name 'Chipper.' She lets out a hearty laugh as she
tells the story. "It was house trained, I'm not kidding you. I have
pictures of it sitting on our hands, on our shoulders ... It would scratch to
get in the door and scratch to get out to the bathroom," she said.
"My mother was wonderful; she let me have pretty well any animal that I
wanted." More than 40 years later, Desjardins' married name is Dion and
Chipper is long gone; but there is still a small bowl of shelled peanuts
sitting on her kitchen counter. If there is anyone with the patience and
tenacity to train a squirrel, it's this woman who has fought tirelessly to
see Canada's first and only privatized adult jail brought into public hands.
Her kitchen is larger and brighter than the one in the small Water Street
house in Penetanguishene that she grew up in, as the youngest of three
children to Bernice and Gordon Desjardins. That house, full of troubled
memories of an alcoholic father and a childhood spent in poverty, is markedly
different than the stylish and welcoming home she has created for herself and
her family. Some of the happiest times of Dion's life have been in this room,
with family and friends gathered on barstools, comfortable leather furniture
or around the large dining room table. This is what means the most to her,
she confides, looking around the room at framed pictures of herself and her
husband of 30 years, Ray, their two children and grandchildren. Her posture
is relaxed, her smile warm and her brown eyes have lost their intense look of
defiance that marked seven long years of battling the provincial government
and corporate America. It's over; Central North Correctional Centre is going
back into the public fold. While it looks like she can rest in Canada - for
now, at least - she has accepted several invitations to speak throughout the
U.S. She admits the last several days since she received the call from
Queen's Park that the province would not renew its contract with Utah-based
Management and Training Corporation have been emotionally exhausting.
"It's elation ... something I just can't explain and at times I'm afraid
I'm going to fall when it's done ... Of course you don't do it for the
accolades, but I guess it just feels so good and I'm just so pleased that the
right decision was made by the Liberal government." Though she admits,
sometimes, even family took a backseat to the fight. "My convictions
were so strong that I couldn't let anyone away with the nonsense that was
happening," she said. The scrappy Metis woman has been called tenacious,
a defender of the defenceless, passionate, and some
names that aren't exactly flattering by those who oppose her. But by all
accounts, she brushes off these labels. She says she is simply a woman who
cares about the small community she was born and raised in, and the people
who live there. She flashes a wide smile showing off straight, polished teeth
surrounded by her trademark pink lips, and is unapologetic when she explains
why she continues standing up for what she believes is right. "What I
would like to see is money spent on social programs. Getting children in
high-risk families help so they don't go through that revolving door. Prison
privatization will just enhance that because that's what they want; that's
how they make money. I just couldn't stand for our Canadian standards and
values to be harmed in that way." She credits her tough childhood for
making her survivor. "I guess I've always stood up for myself and I
guess that's the one credit I can give to my father; that life made me want
to survive. Nothing's been given to me. "So, I go for what I feel I want
to have. It's a good thing," she says, adding, "I look at my (past)
life as a positive not something negative." Beyond the back gate of her
yard is Fuller Avenue, a road that has gotten much busier in the past seven
years; a road that leads to Canada's first-ever private prison - a five-year
pilot project of the former Conservative government that failed. When the leaves
have fallen from her neighbours' trees that shroud
her backyard, Dion can see the edge of the prison property from her kitchen
window. She has never been against CNCC's location or the jobs it brought to
Penetanguishene. Ray is a psychiatric nurse at Oak Ridge, Ontario's only
maximum-security forensic program located at the Mental Health Centre
Penetanguishene, right beside the prison, and she knows having incarcerated
people in local facilities can work. The fight against privatization took her
to the United States, where she is a member of the Private Corrections
Institute, to Queen's Park, where she passed on information she had about
private prisons and Management and Training Corporation, and to countless
meetings and rallies where she eloquently spoke about prison privatization.
"What I love about Sharon is she always comes prepared," Liberal
MPP Dave Levac recently told The Mirror.
"She's factual. She's not emotional about it. She brings passion to the
situation, but I have to tell you that she's probably one of the most
prepared people I've ever dealt with and worked with." At times, feeling
left out of the evaluation process between Central East Correctional Centre
in Lindsay and CNCC, she didn't stop calling politicians until she was heard.
Towards the end of the process, they even started calling her. The last
four-and-a-half years that the jail has been open have been marked by inmate
deaths (Jeffrey Elliott and Lorne Thaw), stabbings, beatings of inmates and
correctional officers, low staffing levels, and numerous security issues, she
says. Although it's acknowledged that these incidents also happen in
publicly-run jails throughout Ontario, Dion didn't want to accept it as the
status quo. She continually asked the ministry tough questions and worked
hard to keep the issues in the public eye. It wasn't always easy, but she
admits to only a handful of times when she felt like it was a lost cause.
There were even times, she confides, to feeling like she was in over her
head, as a woman from small-town Ontario. Those thoughts never lasted long.
"Of course I felt that way, but because of the knowledge that I had, I
had the courage to do what I'm doing," she says, drawing herself up
higher on the sofa. "It's the truth. I don't get paid for this. I'm not making
it up because I have documentation and that's the power. It's simple. Anybody
else could have done it." But no one else took the lead. Dion was one
person amongst dozens at a public meeting in 1996. At the time, the
Conservative government hadn't even decided that Penetanguishene would host
one of two 'super jails' the province was proposing, but a rumour about privatization was brought up. Dion didn't
know anything about prison privatization and began to research the issue.
What she discovered she didn't like. It pushed her to dig deeper and talk to
more people in the United States that had experience in the private prison
system. In 1999, when the government announced Penetanguishene's jail would
be run by a private company, she began her crusade against privatization and
started Citizens Against Private Prisons. "I have extremely strong
convictions, when I know the issue and I've taken the time to educate myself
on them. There's no way I would ever let anyone tell me different, because I
know the truth," she says, her voice indignant. "Every time I would
ask questions of the past government, I would basically know the answer and
I'd know I was lied to and that just (gave) me more determination."
Although she has often been at the forefront of the cause, she notes that
there were always people she could count on to help, specifically her mother
and Ray, Midland resident Dawn Marie Horn, friends and colleagues at the
Private Corrections Institute, members of OPSEU and Brant MPP Levac. Of course, there were also the employees who had
the courage to speak to her. Although she was sometimes a sounding board for
inmates and their families, she has never professed to be an inmate advocate.
When would she find the time? When she wasn't writing letters, organizing
rallies or public forums and publicly speaking against privatization, Dion
operated her own used clothing business (she has since retired), volunteers
in Aboriginal Services at the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene and is a
competitive a capella four-part harmony singer with
the Barrie Chorus, where she is also the assistant director. Two years ago,
she also completed five university credits towards a degree in Aboriginal
Education. Still, she took countless calls from inmates, wives and hysterical
mothers with sons inside the walls of CNCC, and helped the father of Jeffery
Elliott - the inmate who died in hospital in 2003, after receiving a cut to
his left ring finger while at CNCC - throughout the inquest into his horrific
death. They will not forget what she has done, nor will some employees at
CNCC who disagreed with the way the prison was operated. Her phone has been
ringing incessantly since April 27, when the Minister of Community Safety and
Correctional Services announced the jail would be publicly run as of Nov. 10.
Many CNCC employees, politicians, residents and union officials have left
messages - among them, a heartfelt message from a former inmate, thanking her
for her unwavering determination and for giving a voice to inmates like him.
She can't seem to erase this one. As she re-plays the emotional recording,
her eyes tear up. Then she smiles. It's a very good day.
May 3, 2006 The Mirror
Opponents of private prisons throughout the world are heralding the
provincial Liberal government's decision to bring Central North Correctional
Centre into the public fold. "This is a very large victory, not only in
Canada, but across the world," said Brian Dawe, executive director of
Corrections USA, a non-profit coalition of corrections professionals from
Canada and the U.S. "This is the very first time, anywhere in the world,
that any governmental agency has undertaken an actual apples-to-apples
comparison of the two public and private prisons. No one has ever, anywhere
else, designed two identical prisons for the sole purpose of determining
whether or not the private industry should be involved in corrections or it
should remain a public function." The Liberal government announced its
decision to transfer the operation from the Utah-based Management and Training
Corporation to the public sector on April 27, after a five-year study
compared the privately-run prison with its publicly-run twin in Lindsay,
Central East Correctional Centre. During that time, Dawe said a world
spotlight has been on Penetanguishene. He noted this precedent-setting move
will catch the attention of governments in the rest of Canada, the U.S., and
beyond. Dawe gives a lot of credit to Penetanguishene resident Sharon Dion,
who has been fighting privatization of the jail since 1999, when the former
Conservative government under Mike Harris announced CNCC could be privatized.
"She deserves an incredible amount of credit for her dogged perseverance
on behalf of all of the people in, not only her neck of the woods, but across
Canada and around the world," he said.
April 28, 2006 The Mirror
Canada's only privately-operated jail will return to the public sector in
the fall. Although cost was a factor in the decision of whether or not to
keep Penetanguishene's prison privately run, in the end, lower costs offered
through Management & Training Corporation (MTC) of Utah wasn't enough to
maintain its role as the operator of the Central North Correctional Centre
(CNCC). Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister, Monte Kwinter announced yesterday that the jail will be
transferred into the public sector when the contract expires Nov. 10, 2006.
"Our concern was to make sure we were providing a facility that was
adequately looking after the people that we have responsibility for, the inmates,
that we make sure their health-care provisions are provided for; that we make
sure their recidivism rates (are minimized)," Kwinter
said in a telephone interview with The Mirror shortly after the decision was
announced. "We want to make sure that there is integration back into the
community and there is adequate facilities to do
that, and adequate personnel resources to do that," he said. "When
we took a look at it, we just found we were getting better results (at
Central East Correctional Centre). Mind you, it's going to cost us more money
- but everything is a trade off. Overall, we felt the citizens of Ontario
would be better served with this facility being back in public hands."
Although the decision is disappointing for MTC, public relations director Peter
Mount says the private operator will continue to work with the ministry.
"We're going to work and continue to work very closely with our partners
at the ministry, especially during this transition period," Mount said.
"Our responsibility is and always will be the safety of the public, the
staff and the inmates. That's going to continue during the transitional
period." For local resident Sharon Dion, who has campaigned against the
privatization of the prison since it was announced in 1999, the decision came
as a welcomed surprise. "It's such a triumphant day for Canada,"
said Dion, who received a call from Queen's Park shortly after the decision
was made. "I'm really praising the Liberal government for making the
right decision."
April 28, 2006 Midland Free Press
Canada’s first privately operated adult prison is being turned over to
the province. Central North Correctional Centre, which opened in 2001 and has
been run by Management and Training Corporation since, will be operated by
the provincial government, effective Nov. 10, 2006, when MTC's five-year
contract expires. The Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections made the
announcement Thursday after completing a report comparing CNCC with its
physical twin in Kawartha Lakes, which is publicly run. A decision on the
prison's future was needed six months prior to the current contract expiring.
"On just a cost basis the (private operation) was more economical,"
corrections minister Monte Kwinter told Osprey News
Thursday afternoon, "but that reflected on the outcome. "Management
and Training Corporation was in material compliance with the (existing)
contract, but there's no question that health care was delivered better at
the Kawartha Lakes facility and that integration was better at the Kawartha
Lakes facility," Kwinter said. "We have a
responsibility to make sure we provide adequate resources, and while there's
no question there were some benefits from this exercise that we could learn
from," he said. "The evidence clearly indicates that the public facility
produced better results." The province opened CNCC under a
private-public partnership after a Conservative overhaul of Ontario's prison
system in the 1990s. CECC opened soon after with the idea of comparing the
facilities based on cost effectiveness and performance. Price Waterhouse
Coopers, a consulting firm, conducted a comparison review on CNCC and CECC
for the province over an extended timeframe. Part of that review shows the
public prison rated higher than CNCC in eight of 10 performance categories,
including security and community impact. CNCC spokesperson Peter Mount said
he was surprised by the decision of the government not to renew the company's
contract and called it “disappointing." “We will begin the process of
talking to staff right away,” said Mount, adding the U.S.-based company
intends to continue working with the province until its contract expires.
"We have a responsibility and we will continue to live up to that
responsibility," he said. "We will work closely with the government
to ensure safety is looked after." Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop, who
has been a proponent of the private jail and who's also the Conservative
corrections critic, wasn’t thrilled by Thursday's announcement. “The Liberals
are in power and they have the ability to do this," he said. "I’m
going to live with the decision, but I just hope they’ll provide us with the
numbers.” In September of 2004, Dunlop estimated that having the jail run by
a private operator saved taxpayers more than $20 million annually, according
to financial figures he had seen at the time. "I think there was a
substantial savings there. I'd like them to show me in black and white,
without fudging the numbers, what it actually was," he said. "That
should be something that's available. What's to hide?" For
Penetanguishene resident Sharon Dion, an opponent of privatized prisons, was
pleased by the government's decision to go public. "It's an enormous
victory. I couldn't be more pleased. It's a great day for all
Canadians," said Dion, of Citizens Against Privatized Prisons. "I
was a little concerned at times about this review, but I think the
consultation was done in an honest manner on the government's part." Kwinter said details still need to be ironed out, but the
province plans to provide 91 additional staff at the Penetanguishene prison
when it takes over in November.
April 27, 2006 The Star
Canada's only privately run jail is going public again. Ontario
Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter says an
analysis of the Penetanguishene prison showed it was saving the province
money under private operation. But Kwinter says
there was a human cost. He says health-care services weren't as good for
prisoners, and offenders were more likely to repeat. Kwinter
says it will cost the province $2 million more per year to run the 1,200-bed
prison. The jail, north of Toronto, went private under Ontario's previous
Conservative government.
April 27, 2006 Government of Ontario
Ontario will transfer the operation of the Central North Correctional Centre
in Penetanguishene to the public sector, Community Safety and Correctional
Services Minister Monte Kwinter announced today.
"After five years, there has been no appreciable benefit from the
private operation of the Central North Correctional Centre," said Kwinter. "We carefully studied its overall
performance compared with the publicly operated Central East Correctional
Centre in Kawartha Lakes, and concluded the CECC performed better in key
areas such as security, health care and reducing re-offending rates. As a
result, the government will allow the contract with the private operator to
expire." Management and Training Corporation Canada (MTCC) was chosen to
operate the Central North Correctional Centre in May 2001 as part of a
five-year pilot project. During that period, the Central East Correctional
Centre - which is identical in design - opened as a publicly operated
facility. The pilot project was to determine if there was any advantage to
private operations of correctional services in Ontario. "We acknowledge
that MTCC was in material compliance with the contract," said Kwinter, "but the evidence clearly indicates that
the public facility produced better results in key performance areas."
The contract with MTCC ends on November 10, 2006. Over the next six months,
the ministry will work with its partners, including MTCC and bargaining
agents, to ensure a safe and smooth transition of CNCC's operations to the
Ontario Public Service.
April 21, 2006 The Mirror
Once a staunch supporter of the privatization of the Central North
Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop now
says he is not fighting to keep the jail privately operated, but will accept
whatever decision the Liberal government makes in May. "I'm the guy in
our caucus that wore the jail and I don't intend to go back into that battle
again," he told The Mirror. "If the government decides to keep it
private, then I will be fully supportive of the operator and will do whatever
I can to help them out. If the government decides to go public, I will work
with the public system and do my best." Dunlop says he never felt
supported by the provincial Conservatives when they were in power, regarding
the privatization of CNCC, but instead felt he was left "carrying the
full load" of the decision. "... I can't see myself, once again,
fighting very very hard to keep it private when I
didn't get a lot of support for privatization in the first place,
particularly from my party and even from the community, in a lot of
ways," he said. "I think that was fairly clear. I don't think that
was any kind of a mystery. No one came up and said that to me, but when
privatization was talked about, before the decision was made, I knew if there
was a privatized jail, I would get it because I'm the new guy down there. I
don't know anybody. That's just the way politics is." The MPP fought
hard to garner support for it, against the opposition of most of the
Penetanguishene council of the day and members of the community. "I
guess I do feel, a little bit to this day, a little let down that I didn't
get more support for privatization," said Dunlop, who noted that many
people supported the idea to him face to face, but would not go public with
their support.
March 10, 2006 The Mirror
Central North Correctional Centre employees worried about their fate met
secretly Wednesday night with OPSEU officials. "Rumours
have been circulating in the institution that if the public service takes
over the jail, all of these people are going to be out of work because the
public service correctional officers will come in and (take their
jobs)," said Don Ford, a spokesperson for the Ontario Public Services
Employee Union, who attended the meeting. Between 50 and 70 employees
attended the two-hour meeting, organized by members of OPSEU Local 369.
Employees are concerned about what will happen to them if the jail is made
public, or if the present contract is not renewed. Staffing levels continue
to be a concern for correctional officers at CNCC. Pete Wright, president of
OPSEU Local 368 at CECC, says the Lindsay prison - Penetanguishene's physical
twin except publicly operated - has 245 full-time and 80 part-time (called unclassifieds) COs. According
to union representatives at CNCC, Penetanguishene's prison has approximately
210 full-time and 30 part-time correctional officers. "A lot of the
questions we got from the members at Central North were operational questions
as to how they operate on a daily basis and how we operate," said Wright.
"I think they were shocked to hear some of the things that they take for
granted that we don't allow at Central East ... I think staffing levels are
one of the major concerns." Although Wright says violence is inherent at
every jail, it's usually offender on offender. He says Lindsay has not had
any murders at its facility (inmate Ming Tu was stabbed to death at CNCC) and
no correctional officers have been beaten, unlike the Penetanguishene prison,
where a correctional officer was severely beaten in 2003 and another CO was
stabbed in the neck by an inmate in 2005.
February 20, 2006 NUPGE
Correctional employees represented by the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) are pressuring Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty
to make good on a 2003 election promise to return the Ontario superjail in Penetanguishene to the public sector. A
petition, being circulated by the union's ministry employee relations
committee (MERC), cites a litany of serious problems within the jail, which
has been operated since it opened in 2001 by an American company - Utah-based
Management and Training Corporation (MTC). The firm was granted a five-year,
$170-million contract to operate the 1,184-bed institution. It is the first
privately-run superjail anywhere in Canada. The
deal was negotiated, over widespread protests, by the former Conservative
government of Premier Mike Harris in 2001. It is due to expire later this
year unless renewed by the province. McGuinty pledged when he was elected in
October 2003 not to renew the contract. He also declared that "private
jails are a failed experiment and have no place in Ontario." OPSEU says
problems experienced under MTC management at the Central North Correctional
Centre in Penetanguishene include the following: • a major riot due to lack of
food, clothing and medical care, costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands
of dollars in repairs; • the death of a 20-year-old due to lack of proper
medical care; • four inmate stabbings, an inmate murder and the beating of
correctional officers, over period of months - all caused by insufficient
staffing levels; and • the loss of $1.1-million a year in business taxes that
the operators have been exempted from paying to the municipality.
February 3, 2006 The Mirror
A former manager at the Central North Correctional Centre says he has major
concerns about the well-being of employees and inmates at the jail. Former
CNCC Sgt. Martin Speyer, 29, alleges inmates receives a poor diet and medical
care, and staff is bullied by senior management inside Canada's only
privately-run adult prison. Speyer was fired by Management & Training
Corporation (MTC) on Jan. 11, after being on administrative leave since Dec.
20, 2005. In his dismissal letter, the company alleges he was dishonest, he
spoke negatively about the institution in public, he negelected
his duty; made misleading statements; and was involved in a criminal act or
negative behaviour. Speyer refutes the allegations,
saying he was, until October 2005, considered a model employee - one who
received numerous letters of commendation and gratitude from prison
officials, and was even Correctional Officer of the Year during the first
year of operation. Speyer says it wasn't until he filed a complaint against
another manager in October 2005, and became more outspoken about employee
issues that he fell from grace. "They are bullied, absolutely
bullied," he says. "They are scared every day. When the staff come
in, they are afraid of losing their jobs. The key phrase that is used all the
time there is, "I'm one report away from being fired." Medical care
is an issue at the jail that has been highlighted in the media since it
opened. (Medication) is not done properly, pure and simple," says
Speyer. "These guys are not getting the medication they deserve. As a
sergeant, I don't know how many times my staff have been in situations where
they have encountered violence from an inmate that's acting out because they
don't get proper medication. Special dietary needs not being met is also a
concern raised by Speyer. Paula King, executive director of Elizabeth Fry in
Simcoe County, says the organization has had to advocate for pregnant women
whose dietary needs were not being met. "We have had to go to bat for
pregnant women who have not received the proper amounts of milk and fresh
fruit (as per ministry guidelines)," says King. Speyer first became
disenchanted with the organization during the American Correctional
Association accreditation process in September 2004, he says. One of the most
frequently cited reasons by correctional facilities to seek accreditation is
to demonstrate to interested parties that the organization is operating at
professional standards. When MTC sought its accreditation, Speyer says he was
in charge of making sure the prison looked the way it was supposed to during
the process, organizing crews that worked steadily to make it look like the
kitchen and bathrooms had been regularly cleaned. "We had crews going
through to extra scrub the toilets (with drills that had scrub brushes on the
end) so they looked like they were scrubbed on a daily basis, although they
hadn't been touched (for a long time)." He says he and others were asked
by senior management to take cleaning chemicals, extra tools and extra
medical supplies out of the prison to ensure MTC met with ACA standards. A
letter dated Dec. 17, 2004 by then-acting facility administrator Phill
Clough, thanked Speyer for his 'above and beyond' commitment to the
accreditation, but the process was the biggest letdown Speyer had ever felt
in his professional life, he says. "It wasn't something that anyone
could say that they're proud of but...I believed from day one what it (the
accreditation) was supposed to be for. I believed that once we achieved this
certain standard that we weren't going to go back to the old ways," he
tells The Mirror. "So, when I was taking this stuff out of the
institution, I was thinking this is going to be that much better for the
staff. Then, once we had the accreditation on the wall, it went back to how
it was." Speyer has joined Citizens Against Private Prisons in its fight
to have the provincial government not renew MTC's contract, which comes due
in the fall of 2006. The government has to make its decision by May.
February 1, 2006 The Mirror
A petition will soon be delivered to Queen's Park asking that Premier Dalton
McGuinty publicly promise to not renew the Management and Training
Corporation (MTC) contract at the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in
Penetanguishene. Sharon Dion, chairperson of Citizens Against Private
Prisons, has created a petition that cites alleged issues at the jail,
including lack of food, clothing and medical care, insufficient staffing
levels; and MTC's exemption from paying the Town of Penetanguishene business
taxes. She expects about 15,000 signatures once the petition becomes
available electronically. She plans to give the petition to Brant Liberal MPP
Dave Levac - a vocal opponent of private prisons -
in March so he can present it in the Ontario Legislature. McGuinty made
promise not to renew jail contract at Penetanguishene Council. When
then-Opposition leader McGuinty visited Penetanguishene Council with Levac, before the jail was open, he promised that a
Liberal government would not renew the contract with Utah-based MTC. "We
are trying to draw the attention of the Liberal government so that they keep
their promise," Dion said. "That's the ultimate goal." Dion
says she has received calls of support from correctional officers at the Central
East Correctional Centre (CECC) in Lindsay and the Maplehurst
Correctional Complex in Milton which are publicly-operated. "Also,
what's not included in the per diem rate is all of the hidden costs of prison
privatization, like ambulance and hospital costs, escorts, and lawsuits that
some inmates and their families have against MTC, First Correctional Medical
and the Province of Ontario, in the case of Jeffrey Elliott's death."
December 30, 2005 The Free Press
Three of the four people charged in connection with the killing of an inmate
in 2004 at Central North Correctional Centre have pleaded guilty to lesser
charges. Minh Tu, 28, died the morning of May 5, 2004 at Huronia District
Hospital in Midland, two hours after being admitted following an altercation
in one of the living units at C.N.C.C. A post-mortem examination determined
Tu died as a result of a stab wound. Tu was being held at the superjail on a warrant for extradition to the United
States where he had been facing drug charges. He had been at CNCC for about
two months prior to his murder.
December 16, 2005 The Mirror
A local woman has taken her fight to Queen's Park to have Central North
Correctional Centre publicly operated. Sharon Dion of Citizens Against
Private Prisons met with MPP Liz Sandals, parliamentary assistant to Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional
Services, on Monday to discuss her concerns about Management and Training
Corporation. She also met with Brant MPP Dave Levac
in a separate meeting. Levac was the Liberal
Opposition Critic for Corrections when the Tories were in power and was a
vocal opponent of the privatization of the super jail in Penetanguishene.
"My goal was to remind the Liberal party of their promise to end the
private prison culture in Ontario," Dion told The Mirror. "I
provided Ms. Sandals with paperwork to enlighten her of the patterns and
practices of the documented mismanagement of MTC, both here and in the
U.S." There is one year left of the province's current five-year
contract with MTC but, as per contract stipulations, the government must
decide by May 2006 whether to extend the contract for another year; extend
the contract up to five years, based on an agreement of financial terms;
re-tender the contract; or return the prison to the public service. During
the meeting with Sandals, Dion talked about inmate deaths, violence and staff
issues at the privately-run facility. "We talked about the inadequate
health care that caused the death of Jeffrey Elliot, the stabbings, the
murder, riot, staff safety, low staff levels and high staff turnover, and
(correctional officer) Dwight Stoneman's brutal beating," she noted. Levac praised Dion for her preparedness. "Sharon has
been tenacious as always. What I love about Sharon is she always comes
prepared," he said, noting he's hopeful the jail will become publicly
operated. "She's factual. She's not emotional about it. She brings
passion to the situation but I have to tell you that she's probably one of
the most prepared people I've ever dealt with and worked with."
November 16, 2005 The Mirror
The province will have to decide whether or not Management Training
Corporation (MTC) is meeting its service contract responsibilities, and if it
wants the Utah-based company to continue to run the Central North
Correctional Centre (CNCC), by May. There is one year left of the current,
five-year contract but as per contract stipulations, only six months for the
government to decide whether to extend the contract for another year; extend
the contract up to five years, based on an agreement of financial terms;
re-tender the contract; or return the prison to the public service. According
to Brian Low, Executive Lead, Alternative Service Delivery with the Ministry
of Community Safety and Correctional Services, the contract decision-making
process has begun and will continue into the new year. Consultants from Price
Waterhouse Coopers will interview people from key groups to ensure the
information the government has is accurate. While members of Council, chamber
of commerce, board of monitors at the jail, and Ministry of Community Safety
and Correctional Services will be interviewed, members of community groups,
like Citizens Against Private Prisons, will not be included. "It's
disappointing they're not coming to speak to me because I have been doing
private prison research for five years and it's important that this new
government knows the character of the company they're working with,"
said Sharon Dion, chairperson of Citizens Against Private Prisons. "I
have scathing reports about Management and Training Corporation in the United
States. This government needs to know there are major problems with MTC in
the United States and First Correctional Medical who (also) runs our medical
unit." Low says the government already has information from Dion and
others who have made their views clear. Dion has been involved in the debate
for five years - even before the decision was made to run the jail privately
- and remembers a public promise made in 2001 by then-Opposition leader,
Dalton McGuinty, when he paid a visit to Penetanguishene Council. "I
want to make sure they uphold their promise, that it's going back into public
hands (if the Liberals come into power)," she said, noting that she will
soon meet with the parliamentary assistant to Monte Kwinter,
Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, to discuss her
findings, at Queen's Park. When considering whether to extend the MTC
contract, Dion wants the government to take into consideration the deaths,
violence, and one instance where the wrong inmate was released, over the past
four years. But Low cautions that the incidents must be put in perspective.
August 19, 2005 The Mirror
Property taxes topped the list of issues that members of Penetanguishene
Council talked about with the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional
Services at the AMO Conference this week. Council members want Management and
Training Corporation (MTC), the Utah-based company that operates the Central
North Correctional Centre (CNCC), to pay property taxes, estimated at just
over $1 million each year. Currently, the town receives payment in lieu of
taxes of $75 a bed - similar to what government-run facilities such as
hospitals and publicly-run jails pay. "We don't think that's
enough," said Deputy Mayor Randy Robbins from the AMO Conference.
"We've laid our cards on the table of pursuing what every other business
is doing in the province of Ontario. They're not exempt from paying those
property taxes. We'd like to see them thrown into the real world with everybody
else." While this may be the first time council has officially talked to
Monte Kwinter about the issue, it's been an ongoing
concern since the provincial Conservative government announced it would seek
a private company to operate the jail. Of the approximate $1 million in
property taxes, about $660,000 would come to Penetanguishene while the
remainder would go to the County of Simcoe. "We tried to explain that if
Fuller Avenue needs to be rebuilt because of the traffic that the facility is
generating, we don't have that kind of money," said Robbins. "We
would like, if it's the choice of the ministry to go with a contract
extension (with MTC), that they pay taxes that we could put into reserve for
when those roads need to be rebuilt." The possibility of the contract
being extended with MTC was also a hot item on the agenda during the
20-minute meeting on Monday. Robbins, along with councillors
Dan LaRose, Debbie Levy, Anne Murphy and Doug Leroux, asked that the
municipality have a seat at the table when the province compares CNCC with
the publicly-run jail in Lindsay and evaluates MTC's performance.
August 17, 2005 Midland Free Press
Correctional officers at the Central North Correctional Centre are still on
the job after voting 84 per cent in favour of a new,
four-year collective agreement on Friday. According to OPSEU Local 369
bargaining team chairperson, Sean Wilson, the new contract contains "99
per cent" of what the members wanted. "We have an agreement on
making sure we have breaks to maintain our sanity in order to work there.
Under the Health and Safety Act, we've launched some processes to increase
the staffing levels," said Wilson, who couldn't go into further detail. "Once they
enshrine our breaks and stuff in the collective agreement they have no choice
but to increase the staffing levels in order to do that."
August 9, 2005 Newswire
Correctional officers employed at Canada's only private adult jail will vote
Aug. 12 on a tentative agreement reached today at 9:30 a.m. The bargaining
team is recommending that the staff of Central North Correctional Centre,
members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 369, ratify the
agreement. "This is a good deal for our members and we recommend it
unanimously," said Sean Wilson, chair of the union bargaining team.
Details of the contract will be available after the ratification vote is
held. The previous contract expired on Dec. 31, 2004.
August 5, 2005 The Mirror
If there is a strike at the Central North Correctional Centre, members of
Penetanguishene Council are satisfied there is a plan in place to deal with
it, says Mayor Anita Dubeau. "Council was
relatively satisfied that certainly there is a plan in place," Dubeau told The Mirror. "I can't share the details
with you, but it did give council a good opportunity to ask the necessary
questions and (Management and Training Corporation) answered as best they
could." Most of Wednesday night's special meeting was held in camera
because staffing levels and security measures were discussed. Council members
and some residents have been concerned about how the prison will continue its
day-to-day operations safely if some 200 correctional officers walk off the
job on Aug. 12. OPSEU has confirmed that they are going back to the mediation
table with MTC on Monday, Aug. 8. "Less than 50 MTC managers are
available to replace 200 striking correctional officers," Sean Wilson,
chairperson of the union bargaining team, said in a press release.
August 3, 2005 The Mirror
A Penetanguishene resident says she believes members of municipal council
should be apprised of the procedures and policies that will be involved in
securing the Central North Correctional Facility, in the event of a strike by
OPSEU correctional officers on Aug. 11. Sharon Dion, the Canadian liaison for
The Private Corrections Institute in Florida and chairperson of Citizens
Against Private Prisons, has expressed her concerns about the safety of the
community in a letter to council, dated July 26. "There seems to be many
unanswered questions regarding who will be securing the facility in the event
of a strike. The ministry's office advised me the issue would be dealt with
between (Management and Training Corporation) and the union. On the contrary,
union representatives have stated that no public service workers will be
utilized during a strike," wrote Dion. Although he expresses similar
concerns, Deputy Mayor Randy Robbins said he is not sure what council can do.
"Sure, we are (concerned about the possible strike)," Robbins told
The Mirror, before he had an opportunity to read the letter. "We've been
through a few strikes with OPSEU with the mental health centre and it's
always a concern. Not knowing the contingency plan heightens that concern.
We'll have to see. It's not as if we can send our people up there. What can
we do?" But Dion wants assurances the plan will be implemented properly.
"I do understand the importance of not making public staffing numbers
for security reasons, but due to the fact that this American company does not
have other institutions in Canada to draw upon, (it) could jeopardize the
safety of our community."
August 3, 2005 The Mirror
It's difficult for Dwight to remember exactly what happened on Dec. 17, 2003,
after he was beaten by an inmate at the Central North Correctional Centre.
"I just turned slightly with my body to say (to the inmate), 'There's
the door,' and when I did, I don't remember anything else for probably three
or four minutes," said the correctional officer, hesitating slightly to
gather his thoughts - a side effect from the severe beating he received.
"During that time, I was taking all kinds of hits to the body and the
head. I was basically blacked out but standing up; I hadn't fallen to the
ground. There was a point at which I came to. Part of me, almost a primal instinct
type of thing, told me to stay up or you're going to die, and I thought I was
having a massive heart attack." According to Dwight, that day he was
teamed up with a new female correctional officer on her first day of work in
Unit 1, while a third officer was pulled off the unit to work elsewhere.
Another officer was stationed inside the control pod. While Dwight went into
the unit alone to approach the inmate, who would not go into his cell as
directed, his partner stayed outside the locked unit, as is correct
procedure. But Dwight says there should have been more officers in the unit.
"There shouldn't have been just the two of us. There should have been
probably four or five and this is the shortcomings of private prisons,"
said the 57 year old, who was a police officer for 34 years with Toronto
Police Service and the OPP before coming to CNCC as a correctional officer.
"They've got to economize some way and there's only so many paper clips
you can save. The only other area you can cut back on is either meals or the
officers on duty." It's incidents like this - and the stabbing of a
correctional officer three times in the neck by an inmate several weeks ago -
that union officials say prove higher staff levels and tighter security
measures need to be in their new collective agreement. The previous contract
expired Dec. 31, 2004. Correctional officers voted 95 per cent in favour of rejecting an offer by Management and Training
Corporation Canada (MTCC), the Utah-based company that operates the private
prison. More than 88 per cent of the correctional officers turned out to vote
on July 21. Unlike correctional officers in the Ontario Public Service who
cannot strike because they are covered by the Crown Employee Collective
Bargaining Act, which requires that a negotiated essential services agreement
be in place prior to a labour disruption, CNCC
officers can go on strike if they do not reach a collective agreement. MTC
and its employees are covered under the Labour
Relations Act, which has no legislative requirement for an essential services
agreement.
August 3, 2005 OPSEU
Correctional officers employed at Canada’s only private adult jail will walk
off the job at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 12 if no agreement is reached for a new
collective agreement, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
(OPSEU/NUPGE). On July 21, members of OPSEU Local 369 voted 95% to reject the
last offer made by Utah-based Management and Training Corporation, the
company hired by the former Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris to
run the institution. OPSEU President Leah Casselman says wage issues have
been mostly agreed upon. However, issues such as staffing levels and time off
remain outstanding. “Our members are still looking for parity with their
public sector counterparts,” Casselman says. “We will not allow this American
company to run the jail at standards that are below jails in the rest of the
province.” Unlike publicly-operated jails, there is no law requiring members
to provide essential services during a strike or lockout. Sean Wilson, chair
of the union bargaining team, says this should be a concern for both the jail
and the community. “Less
than 50 MTC managers are available to replace 200 striking correctional
officers,” Wilson adds. “There aren’t any trained teams available to deal
with riots or other disturbances should they arise.”
July
13, 2005 Canada News Wire
Bargaining representatives for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Local 369 at the Penetanguishene private superjail
have recommended that their members vote to reject the final offer tabled by
the employer today, July 13. The contract offer affects over 200 correctional
staff at the facility. OPSEU members will vote on the employer offer on July
21. A rejection will give the union a strike mandate, and a strike date is
expected to be set for mid-August. The previous contract expired Dec. 31,
2004. OPSEU President Leah Casselman said that the contract offer doesn't
come anywhere close to what her members need in their next collective
agreement: Parity with public sector correctional workers. Currently, workers at the facility run
by Utah-based Management and Training Corporation earn two per cent less per
hour than their public sector counterparts and receive fewer benefits and
less time off. Sean Wilson, chair of the union bargaining team, says this is
unacceptable.
July 8, 2005 Simcoe.com
JAIL GUARD STABBED - OPP charged an inmate at the Central North Correctional
Centre in Penetanguishene after an attack in a staircase. Police said, on
Monday, June 27, a 22-year-old correctional officer was grabbed by an inmate,
and stabbed in the neck with a sharpened object. The officer was able to run
away and went into a secured area. Another officer was threatened with death
before the inmate calmed down. An 18-year-old Brampton man was arrested and
charged with attempted murder, assaulting a peace officer, threatening death
and breach of probation.
May 27, 2005 Midland Free Press
As a wrongful death suit slowly makes its way through the courts, Tom Elliott
believes the privately operated jail in which his son contracted blood
poisoning should become a public institution. Elliott's son, Jeffrey, died
from blood poisoning in August 2003, after cutting his hand on a food hatch
at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene. The 1,184 bed facility is operated by Management and Training
Corporation (MTC) of Canada, and it's parent
company based in Centerville, Utah. In September, a coroner's inquest ruled
the 20-year-old Beachburg man died accidentally.
Elliott and his family are seeking $150,000 in damages in a wrongful death
suit launched against the Province of Ontario, MTC and First Correctional
Medical. Elliott said he is unwilling to negotiate a settlement with the
three parties. "It is not a money issue.
I'm not concerned about money," he said. "I will settle for
nothing less than a public apology, to let the public know that this wasn't
right." "There is no money to be gained out of this," Elliott
added. "I want to make the public understand that it could be their son
or daughter."
May 20, 2005 Midland Free Press
Central North Correctional Centre was locked down this week after a bullet
was found Saturday in a washroom at the jail. The washroom where staff found
the bullet was located in the front administration area of the prison.
"It's obviously a strange place to find a bullet," said
correctional officer Sean Wilson, president of OPSEU Local 369, which
represents more than 200 guards. "The one thought is, if there's a
bullet, is there a gun?" Guards issued a work refusal Saturday and a
Ministry of Labour inspector was summoned. Ministry
spokesperson Bruce Skeaff said the first work
refusal was aired Saturday morning. That’s when a bullet and razors were
found inside the prison, though he was unable to provide a location for where
the razors were discovered. The jail was locked down — and remained so at
press time — by the employer as the work refusal unfolded. A ministry
inspector determined the workers had no right to issue the work refusal and
the situation was downgraded to a complaint. A search was ordered, and the
inspector advised that staff be instructed and trained by the employer to do
such.
May 18, 2005 The Mirror
A bullet and razors were found at the jail in Penetanguishene, but no gun
has yet been located. Inmates at the Central North Correctional Center
remained in lockdown yesterday as correctional officers searched for a gun
believed to be hidden within the jail. On Saturday May 14, a bullet and
razors were found in a washroom at the Penetanguishene jail, and correctional
officers believed the bullet wouldn't be there without a pistol. Correctional
officers asked for the jail to be locked down until the gun was found, but
The Mirror was told management refused. "We were called at 11a.m. with a
work refusal by 275 correctional officers at the facility," said Bruce Skeaff, ministry of labour
spokesperson. "It was a disagreement between the workers and management
in regards to the search of the facility."
May 17, 2005 Midland Free Press
Management and Training Corporation jettisoned the word 'acting' before
Phill Clough's title earlier this month as he was named the new administrator
at Central North Correctional Centre. Clough had been acting facility
administrator since former jail boss Doug Thomson — who'd run the prison
since July 2001, four months before CNCC opened its doors to inmates —
resigned last November.
March 18, 2005 Midland Free Press
Tom Elliott continues to seek justice for his dead son Jeffrey. A pretrial
has been scheduled for the end of April for the $150,000 wrongful death suit
launched by the Elliott family against the Province of Ontario, Management
and Training Corporation (MTC) of Canada, and First Correctional Medical. The
purpose of a pretrial is to bring the parties together to discuss the case
and the issues to be presented in court. The lawsuit was filed months before
the jury in the Ontario coroner’s inquest ruled in September that Jeffery
Elliott died accidentally while at the Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene. The 20-year-old Beachburg man died
from blood poisoning in August 2003, after cutting his hand on a food hatch
at the jail operated by MTC, a private company based in Centerville, Utah.
Jeffery had less than a month remaining on his one-year robbery sentence when
he died. “I still stick by the same thing. It’s not a money issue it’ about
principle,” said Mr. Elliott, explaining why he launched the lawsuit. “It was
obvious in Jeffery’s case it was a lack of treatment (that caused his death). It was a tragedy.” Elliott said he would
agree to withdraw his lawsuit if the jail was placed in public hands.
February 25, 2005 Midland Free Press
One inmate has his ear ripped off and another was stabbed several times
with a three-inch screw nail in separate incidents, Saturday at Central North
Correctional Centre, according to prison sources. Sources said the first
altercation was prolonged because of a computer failure in the unit which
prevented the doors from opening, forcing the crisis team to take the long
way around. The first incident, which happened midday, was an
inmate-on-inmate fight, and one of the prisoners "had his ear ripped
right off," said a correctional officer who requested anonymity.
Computer problems have plagued the prison for months and have led to work
refusals by guards, citing their safety was compromised. The officer said the
recent failure was isolated to one unit, adding staff are becoming
increasingly frustrated by door and computer malfunctions. The Free Press
recently reported that the ministry had paid for computer upgrades. "The
computers being fixed, that's a crock," said the guard. "They give
us all kinds of excuses. It's obvious we've got big-time problems." The
second incident happened Saturday evening when about 32 inmates were being
escorted from the chapel back to their unit. A fight erupted and one of the
prisoners used a screw nail as a weapon, said the guard. One of the inmates
sustained "several" puncture wounds to the head, chest and side,
said the officer, who estimated the screw nail was about three inches long
and about 3/8 of an inch thick. They said the inmate was treated in the
prison medical unit.
February 15, 2005 Midland Free Press
Work refusals by correctional officers last year at Central North Correctional
Centre were not the catalyst for the installation of new computer hardware
and software, says a ministry official. Julia Noonan, spokesperson for the
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services' corrections branch,
confirmed there were computer upgrades at CNCC just before Christmas. The
local prison was plagued by computer malfunctions last fall, including a
crash that reduced central control to half-capacity and led to a prisonwide lockdown. At the time, guards said this
created a dangerous scenario in the admission and discharge area. Other
maladies included door and interlock failures, intercom glitches, as well as
loss of camera control, audio alarms and duress signal failures.
December 7, 2004 Midland Free Press
An inquest into the death of a Central North Correctional Centre inmate
begins Dec. 13 at the Midland courthouse. Joseph Balog, 20, of Barrie,
collapsed Sept.29, 2003, within three hours of arriving at the
Penetanguishene jail. He was taken to
Huronia District Hospital where he died two hours later.
November 29, 2004 Midland Free Press
A correctional officer at Central North Correctional Centre was arrested
Sunday and charged with drug-trafficking and breach of peace for allegedly
selling cocaine and marijuana inside the so-called superjail.
This is the second guard this year to face drug-related charges. Following a
year-long investigation, Southern Georgian Bay OPP arrested the guard Sunday
at around noon, said Const. Greg Chinn. A 37-year-old Oro-Medonte
Township man has been charged with trafficking a controlled substance and
breach of peace. The arrest marks the second time this year that a guard has
been charged with a drug-related offence. In March, a 29-year-old
correctional officer from Penetanguishene was arrested on his way to work by
the OPP and charged with drug trafficking, breach of trust and threatening
after a month-long investigation by the provincial crime unit. However,
ministry spokesperson Tony Brown said it's up to Management and Training
Corporation — the Utah-based company that has a five-year contract to run the
jail — to deal with the situation.
November 19, 2004 Midland Free Press
The Free Press has learned that a recent work refusal issued by a
correctional worker cites more computer problems at the superjail,
but a Ministry of Labour inspector deemed it did
not pose immediate danger to the guards. The work refusal was issued by a
correctional officer in the early morning hours of Nov. 4. Ministry of Labour spokesperson Belinda Sutton said the work refusal
was called in after three alleged computer crashes the night before, and
correctional officers said it posed a threat to their safety. Sharon Dion, a member of the prison's Community
Monitoring Committee and an advocate for the abolishment of private prisons
in Canada, said she is at her wit's end regarding continual defects within
the jail. "This is absolutely ridiculous," said Dion. "If
(Management and Training Corporation) cared about its correctional officers,
they'd deal with this promptly."
November 9, 2004 Midland Free Press
The first and only administrator to oversee Central North Correctional Centre
has resigned. Effective last Friday, Doug Thomson resigned his post as
facility administrator at the so-called superjail.
Thomson started his career in 1979, as a correctional officer in Ottawa,
moving around the province to other facilities. He was promoted through the
ranks until eventually becoming a superintendent. Thomson was hired by
Utah-based Management and Training Corporation to head up CNCC, Canada's
first privately run adult prison. He began the job in July 2001, and the jail
opened in November 2001.
October 29, 2004 Midland Free Press
This is in response to Management
& Training Corporation's diatribe ("MTC defends accreditation,"
Oct. 22, 2004) about Brian Dawe's Oct 15 "Letter of the Day"
questioning the American Correctional Association (ACA) accreditation of
MTC's Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC). MTC's Peter Mount never
addressed any of the points Mr. Dawe raised.
Instead, Mr. Mount resorted to a personal assault on Mr. Dawe and his
organization, Corrections USA. Not once did Mr. Mount defend the credibility
or the significance of ACA's accreditation. Why didn't Mr. Mount just present
evidence to counter the claims that: * ACA has never failed an institution,
during an accreditation audit? * ACA
refuses to release the results of its audits? * ACA ensures that positions on its board and
committees are filled with for-profit private prison operators? * ACA has accredited some facilities in the
United States that have later been sites of excessive staff-on-inmate
violence? In January 2004, Abt Associates released
a report for the U.S. Department of Justice called "Government's
Management of Private Prisons."
This report says the following about ACA accreditation: Achieving ACA
accreditation is not an outcomes-based performance goal. Rather, ACA standards primarily prescribe procedures. (Emphasis in original) The great majority
of ACA standards are written in this form:
"The facility shall have written policies and procedures on
..." The standards emphasize the important benefits of procedural
regularity and effective administration control that flow from written
procedures, and careful documentation of practices and events. But, for the most part, the standards
prescribe neither the goals that ought to be achieved nor the indicators that
would let officials know if they are making progress toward those goals over
time. I guess now Mr. Mount will be calling the Abt
and the U. S. Department of Justice zealots. However, it is nice to know that
if there is a riot at the CNCC, MTC may have the paperwork to show it has had
a riot. In full disclosure and before Mr. Mount attacks my commitment to the
fight against for-profit private prisons, I am the executive director of the
Private Corrections Institute, an advocacy group that presents the
"other side" of the story on private prisons. Don't take my word
about the horrors associated with profiteering of the incarceration of human
beings. PCI backs up its claims with documentation, without resorting to
character assassination. Ken Kopczynski, Private Corrections Institute
October 22, 2004 Midland Free Press
A jackknife was discovered in Unit 2 at Central North Correctional Centre,
Sunday afternoon, according to a prison employee. Prison spokesperson Peter
Mount could not confirm whether a weapon had been found. A union
representative and correctional officer inside CNCC, who requested anonymity,
said the discovery of weapons is growing tiresome and dangerous. “Obviously
we have a problem,” said the correctional officer. “They (management) are
finally admitting there is a problem, which has taken about three years.” A few weeks ago,
correctional officers found a pocketknife after two inmates were stabbed last
month. Another inmate was stabbed to death in May. Fear of weapons in Unit 6 ultimately led to a work
refusal. Due to the possible dangers, correctional officers issued their
second work refusal in two weeks. On Oct. 7, correctional officers issued a
work refusal after the central control computer was reduced to half-capacity;
guards also had concerns that duress signals in some of the living units may
not have worked properly had there been an emergency while the main computer
was down. With
the recent concerns over possible weapons in Unit 6, union representatives
and management could not come to an agreement about how to solve the problem,
so a Ministry of Labour health and safety inspector
was called in. The Ministry of Labour
inspector ordered that Unit 6 be searched thoroughly. A ministry memo
states, “The employer should take every reasonable precaution to protect the
(health and safety) of a worker. The employer’s operating procedures require
a mandatory once-every-two-weeks search of the inmate living areas. This
order applies to Unit 6.” Correctional
officers have repeatedly told management there needs to be regular searches
every two weeks, not monthly, as has been happening. Belinda Sutton, a
Ministry of Labour spokesperson, said the memo
essentially reinforced the jail’s existing policy. “The employer already
had the search policy of once every two weeks in place,” said Sutton. “The
Ontario Ministry of Labour issued an order for the employer
to follow its own internal procedure.” The prison’s biweekly search policy is
“adequate,” said Mount, though he would not comment further on how often
searches are actually conducted, citing potential security risks.
October 15, 2004 Daily Observer
The family of a 20-year-old Beachburg man who died
after sustaining a cut to his hand while serving time in Canada's only
private jail is suing the company that operates the institution and the
province for $150,000. Jeffrey
Elliott's estate, his father Tom Elliott and his grandmother Elizabeth
Elliott, are each seeking $50,000 in general damages from Management and
Training Corporation Canada and the provincial government.
October 15, 2004 Midland Free Press
Central North Correctional Centre underwent a prisonwide
lockdown last Thursday after the jail’s main computer was reduced to
half-capacity. A malfunction to the prison’s central control computer system
— believed to be caused by faulty hard drives — led to a work refusal by
correctional officers. The
failure made for an unsafe environment in the admission and discharge area
where about 40 prisoners were waiting entrance to the prison. According to
sources representing union interests inside the jail, only two of central
control’s four computers were operational. The
malfunction meant opening and closing of doors inside the prison would be
slowed substantially, said the correctional officer. The crash also put added
stress on officers in central control area. At that point a work refusal was
issued, they said. “They fix things fairly quickly when there’s a work
refusal,” said the correctional officer. This is not a new problem, however.
Both mechanical and technical glitches have been ongoing for about six
months, said the correctional officer. Six work refusals have been issued in
the past at the so-called superjail. Other work
refusals were issued due to inadequate searches and sub-par staffing levels.
October 13, 2004 Midland Mirror
Another inmate has been stabbed at the Central North Correctional Centre. On Oct.9, a
21-year-old man was sent to the Huronia District Hospital after he was
stabbed several times in his upper body, at approximately 8:30 a.m. This is the third stabbing at the jail this
year. An incident in May resulted in
death, and a stabbing occurred last month.
Peter Mount, communications director at the Central North Correctional
Centre, said jail isn't releasing any details and is completing its own
investigation.
When asked by The Mirror if the super jail is a safe place, Mount said there
is no way to measure that. "There's no qualitative measure of what's
safe." While Mount said administration has a good relationship with
correctional officers, he did confirm there was a 'refusal-to-work' situation
last week.
October 10, 2004
VRLand News
The
O.P.P. are investigating another stabbing at Canada's only privately operated
prison. At the C.N.C.C. facility in
Penetanguishene, a
21-year old inmate was stabbed several times.
September 29, 2004 The Mirror
At Monday night's council meeting, Midland Police Chief Paul Hamelin told
council the prevalence of crack cocaine in the community is on the rise, and
he attributed it to the Penetanguishene jail. "Our intelligence officer
reports that we are beginning to see a correlation between criminal activity
in our community, and the Central North Correctional Centre," said
Hamelin. Through investigating cases of crack cocaine and other drugs in the
community, Hamelin has been in contact with officers in the Greater Toronto
Area (GTA), and said they have been able to trace some of those cases back to
the jail. Hamelin said he never guessed crime within Midland would be on the
increase as a result of the jail, which opened in 2001. "This is not
something we anticipated with the jail. In the beginning, there were more
concerns of (inmates) moving to this area, much like you see in the federal
system."
September 25, 2004 Toronto Sun
AFTER 24 hours of deliberations, a coroner's jury decided that the death of
inmate Jeffrey Elliott was accidental, but the young man's father says he
does not agree with the verdict. The decision, along with 11 recommendations,
came after a two-week inquest that explored the details behind the death of
the 20-year-old Beachburg man. Elliott died a
painful death last year from blood poisoning after a small cut on his finger
became horribly infected. Most of the
recommendations were directed at Canada's only privately run prison, the
Central North Correction Centre (CNCC) in Penetanguishene, where Elliott was
serving a one-year sentence. The jury asked for more stringent hygiene
methods, better medical record keeping and better education and treatment of
hand infections.
September 21, 2004 The Star
By the time an inmate at Canada's first privately run jail was sent to a
hospital, a tiny cut on his finger had become so seriously infected a lot of
the fat and tissue had been destroyed, an inquest has heard. "The long
tendons to the finger had also been eaten away by the pus,'' Dr. James Lacey,
a plastic surgeon who operated on Jeffrey Elliott, told the inquest in
Midland yesterday. Elliott, 20, cut his finger on the food hatch in the door
of a fellow inmate's cell at the Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene on Aug. 1, 2003. He died Aug. 29, 2003, of an acute
gastrointestinal hemorrhage resulting from septic complications of a hand
injury. By Aug. 9, Elliott's wound was seeping pus, indicating it was
"in an advanced stage" of tenosynovitus,
a serious infection of the tendons. But a doctor didn't see him until two
days later, the jury heard.
September 16, 2004 Toronto Sun
Three days after a deadly infection began to spread its way through inmate
Jeffrey Elliott's body, he needed emergency care. Instead, an inquest heard
yesterday, prison medical staff pumped a multitude of antibiotics into him
for three weeks, which may have contributed to his slow, ugly death last
year. "They missed the boat ... he needed urgent emergency care and he
didn't get it," Dr. Paul Binhammer, a hand
surgeon at Sunnybrook hospital, told a coroner's inquest in Midland
yesterday. He said medical staff at Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene, Canada's only privately run prison, didn't heed obvious
signs of the deadly infection that killed Elliott. Three days after the
prison doctor put two stitches in his finger on Aug. 1, 2003, he stuck his
swollen hand out of his cell hatch to show a passing nurse. He complained
again a few days later. Both times he was given Tylenol and ice.
September 14, 2004 Ottawa Citizen
After Day 1 of an inquest into the death of Jeffrey Elliott, it remains
unclear just how the 20-year-old acquired a cut on his finger that ended in
his blood poisoning death. Mr. Elliott, an inmate at Canada's first privately
run corrections facility, died in Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on Aug. 29,
2003, four weeks after sustaining the cut on the inside of his right-hand
ring finger. Mr.
Elliott had only 23 days left on a robbery sentence in the controversial
Central North Correctional Centre in Pentetanguishene,
called the "super-jail." The outcome of the inquest may have a
bearing on the future of Canada's first and only privately run corrections
centre. U.S.-based Management Training Company (MTC) is contracted by the
Ontario government to run the facility. Dr.
Moran, a Barrie doctor who visits the facility on Fridays, was at the
correctional centre on the day Mr. Elliott sustained the cut. Crown attorney
David Russell questioned the doctor's report, which states silk sutures were
used for the wound, a series of questions that went on for about an hour.
"The jail has never had silk sutures," Dr. Moran told the inquest,
unable to provide an explanation for the mixup.
September 10, 2004 Midland
Free Press
Following a pair of stabbings at Central North Correctional Centre, an
anonymous correctional officer at the superjail
said a lockdown and subsequent search yielded a pocketknife, the same week a
report was leaked to the media about modicum staffing levels. Because of
staff shortages, searches aren't performed as regularly as they should be,
said the correctional officer. At least one anti-privatization
supporter says the memo should open the public's eyes once and for all about
staffing levels inside the jail. "The words come straight from one of
their administrators," said Sharon Dion, head of Citizens Against
Private Prisons Penetanguishene, and a member of the prison's community
advisory committee. "If it's a concern to them it should be a community
concern. The OPP is
investigating a pair of stabbings that happened last Saturday at CNCC. A
21-year-old Toronto man received a puncture wound to his leg, and a
20-year-old man, also from Toronto, sustained a puncture wound to his chest
and a cut on his thumb.
September 3, 2004
A
draft internal memo says staffing issues makes scheduling a nightmare and
that the Central North Correctional Centre is not in compliance with its
contract with the province. The internal draft memo from deputy of operations
Phil Clough to superintendent Doug Thomson said staffing issues mean shift
scheduling "doesn't meet the needs community escorts, particularly when
they are admitted to hospital." A guard
and union spokesman from the publically-run Superjail near Lindsay compared the Superjail
to the Titanic. Barry Scanlon, a guard at the publicly run superjail in Maplehurst, and
representative of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said the
institution was "ripe for disaster." Chronic understaffing at
Ontario's privately run superjail has led to
inadequate supervision of the maximum-security institution and of inmates
escorted into the community, the internal document suggests. Clough also
wrote that trying to schedule shifts properly was "an exercise in
futility," raising concerns over public safety. "The present shift
schedule...doesn't meet the needs of community escorts, particularly when
they are admitted to hospital." Critics seized on the confidential
review of staffing levels as proof that Utah-based Management and Training
Corporation which operates the 1,200-bed Central North Correctional Centre
was putting profits before public safety. When the
former Tory government announced the new jail would be privately operated, it
assuaged community fears by promising tough standards a private operator
would have to meet. Those standards - including minimum staffing levels -
were enshrined in a contract between the company and the province that runs
to 2006. However, the memo obtained by the union two weeks ago and apparently
written at the end of May or in early June, indicates the company had failed
to live up to its end of the deal. "On a regular basis, we are not in
compliance with the contract," it says bluntly. Dan Gregoire, a former
guard at the jail, accused the company of failing to come clean with the
government and public. "Please, for the safety of the community, the
inmates and for the staff...it's time to remove this private operator,"
said Gregoire. Four people have died during their custody period at CNCC
since May of 2003. A recent trail into the attack on an inmate in the prison
yielded no convictions, despite the attack taking place in the facility
during a snack period for the inmates. The victim was yanked out of the food
lineup with a pillowcase over his head and dragged to a cell, where he was
stabbed more than 30 times with the sharpened end of a pink toothbrush. He
was also kicked, choked and beaten.
His legs were placed over the bunk and jumped on by two or three other
inmates, leaving him with broken ribs and ankles, a concussion and multiple
stab wounds. (Midland Free Press)
September 1, 2004
Understaffing at Ontario's only privately run jail means the facility's U.S. operators
are routinely violating their contract with the province, a confidential
company document says. The internal memo, prepared by company officials
at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, highlights
serious problems resulting from understaffing and concludes: "We are in
a situation where on a regular basis we are not in compliance with the
contract." The memo says the prison, which opened in 2001 and is
run by Management Training Corp. of Utah, has too few staff to protect the public
properly when prisoners leave the prison. It states the "present
shift schedule ... is not meeting needs, is inefficient, has staff on shift
where they are not needed and insufficient staff where they are, doesn't meet
the needs of community escorts particularly when (inmates) are admitted to
hospital." The memo also says there was not even enough staff to
provide proper searches to keep drugs and weapons out of the maximum-security
jail. (The Star)
August 31, 2004
Chronic understaffing at Ontario's privately run superjail
has led to inadequate supervision of the maximum-security institution and of
inmates escorted into the community, an internal document suggests.
Critics seized on the confidential review of staffing levels as proof that
Utah-based Management and Training Corp., which operates the 1,200-bed
Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, was putting profits
before public safety. The memo, written by the jail's deputy of
operations Phill Clough to its superintendent Doug Thomson, outlines numerous
problems at the three-year-old facility. "Searches are not being
done in a systemic manner," the memo states. Clough also wrote
that trying to schedule shifts properly was "an exercise in futility,"
raising concerns over public safety. "The present shift schedule
doesn't meet the needs of community escorts, particularly when they are
admitted to hospital." Barry Scanlon, a guard at the publicly run superjail in Maplehurst, Ont.,
and representative of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said the
institution was "ripe for disaster." "We don't want
(guards) coming out in bodybags," said
Scanlon. "Central North Correctional Centre Titanic is what it is.
It's just waiting for that iceberg to come up." When the former
Tory government announced the new jail north of Toronto would be privately
operated, it assuaged community fears by promising tough standards a private
operator would have to meet. Those standards — including minimum
staffing levels — were enshrined in a contract between the company and the
province that runs to 2006. However, the memo obtained by the union two
weeks ago and apparently written at the end of May or in early June,
indicates the company had failed to live up to its end of the deal. "On
a regular basis, we are not in compliance with the contract," it says
bluntly. "We have everything in place to address any compliance
issues as they emerge," said Adrian Dafoe. Still, New Democrat
Peter Kormos accused management of the facility of
"recklessly and consciously risking public safety," and called on
the province to take over the prison immediately. While no inmates have
managed to flee the facility, in August 2002, rioting erupted at the
institution and almost 100 inmates almost escaped using a battering
ram. There have been about four or five deaths, including one who was
knifed and another who died from medical problems caused by a cut on his
hand. Kormos accused management of the
facility of "recklessly and consciously risking public safety" and
called on the province to take over the prison immediately. "It's
become obvious that the private prison experience has been a total
failure," Kormos said. Dan Gregoire, a
former guard at the jail, accused the company of failing to come clean with
the government and public. "Please, for the safety of the
community, the inmates and for the staff it's time to remove this private
operator," said Gregoire. (The Star)
July 9, 2004
Three men charged with severely beating a fellow inmate at the Central North
Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene were found not guilty Thursday.
The jury at the trial got a glimpse of life behind the high-wire fence of the
so-called superjail. During the four-day
trial, which started June 30 in the Superior Court of Justice in Barrie, the
nine-woman, three-man jury was told that the victim Thomas Smuck, was savagely beaten while serving time in the superjail for sexual assault and forcible
confinement. His attackers grabbed him while he lined up for the
evening snack - called jug-up - on April 27, 2002. They covered his head with
a pillow case and as he passed in and out of consciousness dragged him into a
cell where they stabbed him 47 times with a filed-down toothbrush. Smuck told the court he didn't know who his assailants
were, but one sat on his chest while another punched him in the face.
Then, with his feet hanging over the edge of the bed, another jumped
repeatedly on his legs and broke both of his ankles. (Simcoe.com)
May 20, 2004
Four inmates at the Central North Correctional Centre were charged Wednesday
in connection with the death of another inmate earlier this month. Minh
Tu, 28, died from a stab wound on May 5. Police continue to investigate
the death of Tu, the fourth inmate to die at the prison, commonly referred to
as the superjail, in the last year. Inquests
have yet to be held to examine the deaths of two other inmates. (The
Barrier Examiner)
May 11, 2004
Minh Tu has been identified
by police as the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) inmate who died last
Wednesday in hospital following an altercation with another prisoner. A
post-mortem examination determined Tu, 28, died as a result of a stab wound.
Tu is the fourth CNCC inmate to die in the last year, and a coroner's
inquests will be held into the death. (Midland
Free Press)
May 10, 2004
Dr. Karen J. Acheson, Regional Supervising Coroner for Central West Ontario,
today announced that an inquest will be held in the death of Jeffrey
Elliott. Mr. Elliott died August 29, 2003, at Mount Sinai Hospital in
Toronto following complications of infection to a hand wound he sustained
while he was in custody at Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene. (News Wire)
May 7, 2004
A male inmate wounded in an altercation yesterday at the Central North Correctional
Centre died two hours later in a Midland hospital. He is the fourth
inmate to die in the last year. Police from the Southern Georgian Bay
OPP detachment cordoned off the living unit at the privately-run prison where
the incident occurred to conduct an investigation. (Flpba.org)
May 6, 2004
An inmate has been stabbed to death at Ontario's only privately run
provincial prison, officials confirmed yesterday. "There was a
stabbing, the inmate was taken to hospital and he died and there is currently
an investigation into the incident," said Adrian Dafoe, a spokesperson
for Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter.
Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene has been dogged by
controversy, including health and safety issues, since the maximum-security
jail opened in November, 2001. It is the first murder at the jail.
(Toronto Star)
February 19, 2004
Only two recommendations were made last week by a jury after an inquest ended
in the death of an inmate at the super jail, and clocks are the focus of
both. After two days of listening to witnesses, the five-member jury
said the Central North Correctional Centre should keep better track of
time. The recommendations are that the jail should synchronize all of
the clocks inside the facility, including on their computers, and, when a
correctional officer checks in on the inmates, the proper time should be
marked down using the synchronized clocks The controversy comes after
statements from a medical manager, who tried to recall what time he looked in
on Lorne Thaw the morning of his death. (Simcoe)
February 17, 2004
For the second time in three weeks, correctional officers at Canada’s first
privatized adult correctional facility have voted to reject an offer from
their American employer for a first contract. The vote was 95% against with
94% casting ballots. Sean Wilson, a bargaining team member for Local
369 of the Ontario Public Service Employess Union
(OPSEU/NUPGE), says his members are determined to win parity with
correctional officers in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). “This
employer doesn’t seem to get it,” Wilson said. “Over the years, correctional
officers in the OPS have set the standards for compensation and safe
workplaces. Our members will not accept sub-standard conditions so that an
American firm can rake in profits. That is an insult to our members, and
should be an insult to every citizen in this area. We are not second-class
workers, and this is not a second-class town. We do the exact same work as
every other correctional officer in every other Ontario jail.” The
rejected offer would not provide parity until mid-November. Vacation
improvements included in the offer would have been delayed until 2006.
Meanwhile, the employer continues to refuse to negotiate shift premiums,
pregnancy and parental top-up allowances, or improvements to statutory
holiday pay, all of which OPS correctional officers receive. The
facility is run by the Management and Training Corp. (MTC) of Utah.
(NUPGE)
February 12, 2004
The medical problems of an inmate, who died while incarcerated at the super
jail last year, were the main focus during the first day of an inquest into
his death. Lorne Thaw, 50, was found dead in his cell on May 8, 2003.
An autopsy was unable to determine the cause of death. Thaw was the first of
three inmates who died while in custody at the jail. Coroner Dr. Peter
Savage will preside over the inquest, which started at the Midland courthouse
on Monday. He told the five-member jury to listen to all of the evidence, but
to use common sense to reach a conclusion about why and how he died.
"No one is on trial here, and there will be no findings of guilt,"
Savage told the jury. The jury heard Thaw was brought to the jail while
he waited to make court appearances for various charges, including sexual
assault and forcible confinement. After being admitted to the Central North
Correctional Centre on Dec. 28, 2002, he was immediately sent to the medical
ward to be treated for health complaints. "He was seen by Dr.
(James) Bolton, who ordered that Thaw remain in the medical unit until he had
a handle on his medical condition," said Crown attorney Bob Gattrell. Thaw complained about bronchitis, and
alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but it was the doctor who noticed he had high
blood pressure. Gattrell said it wasn't until
Jan. 15, 2003, that Thaw was given clearance to leave the medical ward, but
he asked to stay, where he worked as a cleaner for the unit. "He
did some housekeeping duties, and it gave him some freedom." Gattrell said Thaw got along well with his cellmate, who
was the one who noticed Thaw didn't wake up at his usual time on May 8.
(Simcoe)
February 5, 2004
Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop hopes the company that runs the Central
North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene can come to a fair contract
settlement with its correctional officers. "The next few weeks
should be interesting, because OPSEU's correctional officers are not the
easiest to negotiate with," said Dunlop. "They are the most
militant group to deal with." He said Management and Training
Corporation Canada, the company running the jail, has done a good job at the
facility, and he expects it would want to be fair to its employees.
"I hope there's not a strike disruption, because it's costly."
Dunlop, the Progressive Conservative critic for community safety and
correctional services, said if a strike was announced, Management and
Training Corporation Canada officials would have to step in and look after
the facility, but he hopes the government steps in before it gets to that
point. "The Ministry of Correctional Services should help these
people, the same way these people helped it out before." When
correctional officers that worked for government-run jails went on strike
last year, Dunlop said the Central North Correctional Centre held many
inmates from other areas, to try and alleviate any problems. Since
local correctional officers helped out the government during that time,
Dunlop said it's only fair to return the favour.
"This is an ongoing saga, and the ministry of correctional services is
not my favourite ministry," said Dunlop.
He said as the critic to the Liberal government, he is waiting for more
background information on the jail, so he can do his own comparison between
the private and public institutions. "I expect the answers to be
truthful, and I want to do a fair comparison (between the facilities). Sure,
there have been deaths, and assaults on the guards, but how safe are
they? "Dalton McGuinty promised he'd turn it over to the public,
but I wonder if he'll change his mind, just as he's done with other
issues." Dunlop added he is mainly concerned about keeping the
jail jobs in the hands of local people. "I'm more concerned about
having these jobs stay in the area. I don't want to lose them, the stability
is important." There are 204 correctional officers at the jail,
who rejected their first contract offer last week. Management Training
Corporation Canada was scheduled to be back at the bargaining table with
OPSEU today (Feb. 4) and tomorrow. The main issues up for negotiation
are salary, statutory holidays, pregnancy and parental leave, and
vacation. (The Mirror)
February 2, 2004
Central North Correctional Centre guards voted 99 per cent against the parent
corporation's first contract offer, Thursday, also leaving the possibility
open to go on strike to back their demands. "There is no reason
that the men and women working at Central North Correctional Centre should be
treated as second-class citizens just so an American firm can rake in profits,"
said Sean Wilson, a correctional officer at the superjail
since 2001, and member of OPSEU Local 369's bargaining team. OPSEU
spokesperson Don Ford has a rationale for why the Utah-based parent company,
Management and Training Corporation (MTC), won't budge. "There's a
reason why (the guards) make less money," said Ford. "It's
simply profit for MTC." What infuriates Ford more is that MTC uses far
less staff at the superjail than other provincial
facilities use, which in turn makes the Penetang facility more dangerous for
the guards. Midland Free Press)
January 25, 2004
Correctional officers at Canada’s first privatized adult correctional
facility have voted overwhelmingly to reject the employer’s offer for a first
contract. Union members have also voted over 90 per cent in favour of going on strike to back their contract demands.
97 per cent of the members turned out for the vote. Sean Wilson, a
correctional officer and bargaining team member for OPSEU Local 369, says
that this should send a strong signal to Utah-based Management and Training
Corporation. “Our members have made it crystal clear that they will
accept no less than parity with correctional officers working in public
service facilities,” Wilson said. “We do the same work as public service
correctional officers. We work with the same inmates. We face the same
dangers, stresses and risks. There is no reason that the men and women
working at Central North Correctional Centre should be treated as
second-class citizens, just so that an American firm can rake in
profits.” The Union bargaining team will return to the bargaining table
as soon as Management and Training Corporation agrees to meeting dates.
“We hope that we will be able to negotiate a collective agreement without
resorting to a strike,” Wilson said. “However, the members are adamant that
we address their concerns about safety and the inequity with the Ontario
Public Service.” (OPSEU)
January 5, 2004
Dwight Stoneman is recovering at home after an inmate assaulted him at the
Penetanguishene jail. Stoneman is a correctional officer at the Central North
Correctional Centre, and he was beaten up on Dec. 17. "One inmate
refused his directions, and the offender and he were involved in an
altercation," said Doug Thomson, facility administrator. (Simcoe)
January 5, 2004
Lorne Thaw, 50, was a Barrie resident who passed away on May 8, while in
custody at the Central North Correctional Centre. He was found in his
cell, after he didn't respond to a roll call. Under the Coroner's Act,
an inquest must be held for the death of anyone who dies in custody.
The inquest, which begins on Monday, Feb. 9, is expected to last for four
days. Approximately 13 witnesses will be called during the inquest,
which starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Midland Court House. OPP said earlier,
it appears as though Thaw died from natural causes, but a toxicology test was
done. The results have yet to be released. Dr. P. Savage will preside
as inquest coroner. (Simcoe)
December 15, 2003
Tom Elliott knew it was his boy by the leg shackles. His face, swollen to the
size of a pumpkin, was no longer recognizable. His hands, once so adept at
mechanics and steering that shiny new bicycle as a kid, now lay cold and limp
at his sides. His torso taped tightly, perhaps to control the bloating
of his abdomen as he bled inside, barely registered his final breaths.
Unconscious, intubated and just hours from death, Jeffrey Elliott was only
days from ending a one-year jail sentence he was determined to serve.
And his lifeless legs, blackened by lesions from infection, were still
shackled by chains. It was two days after Jeffrey was rushed from his
cell at the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in Penetanguishene to a
Midland hospital and eventually to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto before Tom
was notified that his son's condition had become so critical. The last
time the two had spoken, a cut on Jeffrey's finger had already become
secondary. Instead, Jeffrey was focused on Sept. 26, the day he was to be
freed after serving time for robbing the Pembroke McDonald's the previous
October. 'DAD, I DID WRONG' "I said to him, 'You know, Jeff, when
you get out, you should really think about going to college,' " Tom
recalls. "He was excited about that. He was originally sentenced to
house arrest but he said, 'Dad, I did wrong and I have to do my time.' He
said he'd go to jail and serve the time, and at least it would be
acknowledgment on his part that he was guilty." Jeffrey arrived at
CNCC on July 25 -- transferred, Tom says, from the overcrowded Ottawa jail.
His cellmate in Penetanguishene tells the family that on Aug. 1, Jeffrey
approached an agitated inmate's food hatch to try to calm him down during a
verbal altercation. The prisoner kicked the hatch shut, causing a 1-cm gash
on Jeffrey's left ring finger. It was an innocuous -- and fatal -- cut.
The Elliotts contend Jeffrey sought and was refused
treatment for 2-3 days at the jail. On Aug. 12, he was sent to a specialist
at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, where he was treated with
antibiotics and then sent back to CNCC. Five days later, the infection had
not improved and he returned to hospital for a three-day stay. On Aug.
25, Jeffrey was found unconscious in his cell. Shortly after 3 p.m. on
Aug. 29, only four weeks after Jeffrey was cut and just days before he was to
be released, Tom watched his son die in a Toronto hospital room.
(Ottawa Sun)
September 25, 2003
Barrie resident Sharon Storring-Skillen wants
things to change at the jail in Penetanguishene, but she can't do it
alone. She wants to get her message across by talking to local citizens
about how privatization has affected society. "Water testing in
Walkerton, Hydro deregulation, and the 407 toll road
have all been privatized. These issues relate to everybody," said Storring-Skillen. They are also issues with which
the general public is familiar. When it comes to the jail, many of the
inmates' concerns are left behind closed doors, or only heard by family
members. Storring-Skillen wants to change
that. "My main focus is the privatization of the Central North
Correctional Centre. People there are unsympathetic to health conditions of
the inmates." She is having a gathering on Saturday to talk about
various areas where the government has privatized, sometimes resulting in
death. Storring-Skillen spoke about Jeffrey
Elliott, a 20-year-old-inmate who died after an injury to his hand this
summer. "The cost-cutting measures used at the jail are costing
people their lives. If (Elliott) was at the Lindsay jail, that man would be
alive today." Although her main focus is the jail, Storring-Skillen will listen to anyone with comments
about privatization. Storring-Skillen is
director of Families Against Private Prisons' Abuse (FAPPA), and since she
started the group last year, she has spoken to hundreds of inmates at the
jail. "In less than one year we have had a riot, which the jail is
calling a mild disturbance, and two deaths. "The first death was
Lorne Thaw, and (Elliott) died less than four months later." Storring-Skillen's own son was at the jail in
Penetanguishene when she first started FAPPA, and he had many complaints
about how his health problems were addressed. "He is now at the
Ontario Correctional Institution in Brampton, which is a treatment centre. He
is much happier now." All Storring-Skillen
hopes to achieve is to have inmates treated properly. "They are
criminals, but they deserve to be treated as human beings." The
meeting on privatization is on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 11 a.m., in front of
Garfield Dunlop's constituency office in Midland, on King Street. From there,
the group will go to Penetanguishene, where it will meet again in front of
Garfield Dunlop's office. After that, the group will meet in front of the
jail. If you need information about FAPPA, call Storring-Skillen
at 728-5961. (Simcoe.com)
September 5, 2003
According to a fellow inmate, the cut on Jeffrey Elliott's hand wasn't that
big originally. It just wouldn't stop bleeding. How this cut, sustained at
Canada's first privately run jail, led to the 20-year-old's death from blood
poisoning weeks later is being investigated by the coroner's office and
provincial police. Bruce Glenn was in the cell next to Elliott at the Central
North Correctional Centre. Glenn, who's awaiting trial, said the cut on
Elliott's ring finger of his left hand was one-centimetre
long and not very deep." He came to me and asked for some tissue because
it kept bleeding," said Glenn in a telephone interview from the jail.
"It bled constantly, he kept asking to go up to medical but they didn't
bother to take him for maybe two or three days and by the time they did, an
infection had got into his hand, it was all swollen up," said Glenn. The
inmates were on lockdown Aug. 1, but Elliott was allowed out to go for a
shower and stopped to complain to his other neighbour
who was "going buggy and yelling because he was locked up," said
Glenn. "Jeffrey put his hand on the food hatch and the other inmate
tried to kick it away and he got cut on the sharp metal edge of the
hatch," said Glenn. Dr. Paul Humphries, the senior medical consultant to
the Public Safety and Security Ministry, confirmed Elliott cut his hand on a
food hatch on Aug. 1 and was treated. Humphries didn't specify when Elliott
first received medical attention, but said that when the hand didn't heal, he
was seen by a specialist in Barrie on Aug. 12. He went back to the specialist
on Aug. 18 and was admitted to Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie for three
days before being returned to jail. Overnight on Aug. 25, he was sent to a
Midland hospital before being airlifted to Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital,
where he died on Aug. 29.Dr. Michael Gardam, an
infectious disease expert at Toronto General Hospital, said it's "very
rare" for a healthy, young person to die from a cut hand if it's
properly treated. A deep cut needs immediate washing and if there is any
chance that dirt got into the wound, a course of antibiotics is usually
ordered by a doctor "right away," said Gardam.
However, even if all the proper medical procedures are followed, blood
poisoning and even death can occur if virulent bacteria enter the wound, said
Gardam. Elliott's death occurred just months after
the then-head of the emergency department at the nearby hospital told the
Star inmates at the prison arrive writhing in agony because they haven't
received proper medication at the jail. These comments echo others made
previously by judges, lawyers and activists, who claimed that the for-profit
institution guaranteed its bottom-line results by minimizing inmate care. The
institution denied those accusations and stated that its medical care, which
was contracted out, was found adequate in two separate audits and met the
standards of its contract with the province. Doug Thomson, who runs the jail
for U.S.-based Management Training Company, sent his condolences to the
Elliott family, but said he couldn't comment further due to the ongoing
investigations. Elliot had 23 days of his one-year sentence for robbery left
to serve. His funeral was held yesterday in Pembroke. (Toronto Star)
September 4, 2003
The father of a 20-year-old man who died from blood poisoning while serving
time at Canada's first privately run jail is demanding to know how his son's
cut hand led to his death. "We're all devastated here. How could such a
thing happen?" said Tom Elliott of Beachburg,
a small town near Pembroke. Jeffrey Elliott, 20, who was transferred to the
Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene from an Ottawa-area jail
on July 25, died of blood poisoning at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on
Friday. Elliott said his son, who was serving a one-year sentence for
robbery, called his family from the Penetanguishene jail in early August and
said that another inmate attacked him with a meat cleaver and that his hand
was cut very badly. "What we want to know is how an inmate got hold of a
meat cleaver in the first place," said Elliott who will be one of 10
pall bearers carrying his son's coffin at a funeral to be held today at the
Holy City Anglican church in Pembroke. The province said the cut on the hand
came from the food hatch on his jail cell on Aug. 1.Further, Elliott said
that the family was not notified that his son had become gravely ill until he
was airlifted to Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital on Aug. 26, weeks after the
incident. Doug Thomson, who runs the so-called superjail
for U.S.-based Management Training Company, sent his condolences to the
family, but said he couldn't comment further because the coroner's office and
the local Ontario Provincial Police are investigating Elliott's death. The
OPP and the coroner's office confirmed an investigation is under way but said
that was standard procedure in an inmate's death. Liberal MPP David Levac (Brant) said he will demand "a total review of
the circumstances" surrounding Elliott's death." This is not the
Middle Ages when people died of a simple cut," said Levac.
(Toronto Star)
June 25, 2003
With contract negotiations looming ahead for employees at Central North
Correctional Centre (CNCC), OPSEU and Management and Training Corporation
(MTC) administration are wrapped up in a “communications” conflict.
According to OPSEU officials, in a letter dated June 5, 2003 facility
administrator Doug Thomson threatened local union president Dwight Stoneman
with “discipline up to and including dismissal” if he did not cease and
desist distributing union-related information at CNCC. Don Ford , OPSEU communications said the ban of newsletter
inside the facility “reeks of intimidation”. He said someone needs to remind
the company that business is not done this way in Ontario. “It’s pretty
unreasonable. It leads us to believe they don’t want the Union in there,”
said Ford. (Midland Free Press)
June 19, 2003
An employee at the Penetanguishene jail has been
told to stop handing out union material at work and was threatened with
possible dismissal. Don Ford,
communications at OPSEU head office, said the jail's union president was
given a letter on June 5 which said he could be fired after handing out union
newsletters. "Doug Thomson, facility
administrator (at the Central North Correctional Centre) threatened Dwight
Stoneman with discipline, up to and including dismissal, if he did not cease
and desist distributing union-related information at the jail," said
Ford. The letter said employees need
management approval before distributing or posting materials at work, and the
Bargaining Bites newsletter from OPSEU is included in that. "We are finding this hard to understand, because
this was union information for people in the union at the jail."
(Simcoe.com)
May 14, 2003
The Ontario Provincial Police in Midland is assisting the Coroners
Office in investigating the death of an inmate at the Central North
Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene. According to Midland OPP, on
Thursday May 8, 50 year-old Lorne Thaw, an inmate at the CNCC was found
non-responsive in his cell. Thaw was a Barrie native. (Midland Free
Press)
May 12, 2003
A press release issued on Thursday afternoon said
the death was reported on May 8, and results from the post mortem would be
known today. "From what I know,
he just passed away, it doesn't appear to be a suicide," said OPP Const.
Greg Chinn. An OPP Forensic Sciences
van stood out in the parking lot of the jail all afternoon. Under ministry
guidelines, a Coroner's Inquest will be held to investigate the circumstances
of the man's death, to see if anything could have prevented it. Doug Thomson, facility administrator at the Central
North Correctional Centre (CNCC), said he is taking the matter seriously.
"Local emergency personnel were notified
immediately, and there are investigations being conducted by the police, by
CNCC, and by the ministry of security and public safety," said Thomson.
The sentenced inmate, who is approximately 50
years of age, is the first inmate to die at the jail. He was found in his cell early Thursday morning, and
was taken to Huronia District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just
after 8 a.m. Thomson said he could
not release the name of the man until next of kin was notified. "We express our deepest regrets to his
relatives." Foul play is not
suspected, but Thomson would not say if the man was alone in his cell at the
time. Thomson said staff responded
professionally, and will receive crisis debriefing to deal with the
issue. (The Mirror)
April 16, 2003
Two Midland men appeared in bail court yesterday facing charges of conspiracy
to commit murder and attempted murder in an incident that involved the
stabbing of an alleged sex offender with a toothbrush at the Pentanguishene Superjail.
The pair were serving time at the jail when they allegedly attacked the sex
offender. The victim was beaten and stabbed dozens of times with the
end of a toothbrush, leaving him with superficial stab wounds and broken ribs
on April 26, 2002. (Midland Free Press)
March 5, 2003
Penetanguishene resident Sharon Dion isn't surprised with the recent media
coverage of the health problems at the jail. After years of research,
Dion, who is chairperson of Citizens Against Private Prisons, said she had a
feeling this would happen. "I would like to say the problem here
is mirroring the problems in the United States," said Dion. She is
excited to see that Dr. Martin McNamara, chief of the emergency department at
Huronia District Hospital, has come forward to talk about the problems he
sees on a daily basis. "It's not just me talking about
it." McNamara said some inmates arrive at the hospital writhing in
agony because they haven't received proper pain medication, or with physical
conditions that have worsened through neglect. One of McNamara's own
patients, who broke his jaw before he was sent to the jail more than three
weeks ago, is still waiting to see a dentist. "As of two days ago, he
was still wandering around in pain with a broken jaw," he said in an
earlier interview. The Central North Correctional Centre is run by an
American-based company, called Management and Training Corporation Canada.
MTC Canada charges the province $74 a day per inmate, which is much cheaper
than the $140 it costs the government for an inmate in a public jail.
Dion believes the government should be accountable for the medical problems
at the jail, and she also hopes there will be a public inquiry about the
situation. Brant MPP Dave Levac, public
safety and security critic with the Liberals, has said the public should want
more answers about the way inmates at the jail are treated. Hearing McNamara
speak about the health conditions of the inmates has confirmed Levac's concerns. (Simcoe.com)
March 5, 2003
When the highwater alarm went off in the basement of 304 Church Street in
Penetang on Saturday afternoon, Ken and Laurie Playne
knew they were in for a stinking mess. The sewer was backing up again - for
the fourth time in two years only this time there was no stopping it. Two
pumps and six inches of feces, condoms, plastic debris and garbage later, the
flood ended but the nightmare didn’t. The Playnes
spent the afternoon and evening pumping the mess out. By 11 p.m. the slimy
liquid was gone, all that remained was the stench and ruined belongings. The
furnace will have to be replaced, just like the furniture, pieces of Ken’s
band’s musical equipment, carpets, flooring and two pages of other personal
items on a list that has gone to the couple’s insurance company. They
are not alone, other residents in the immediate vicinity have been
experiencing similar damages each time there is a blockage in the sewer
line. The Playnes are blaming it on the
Central North Correctional Centre Ken Playne said
he heard it was caused from the inmates flushing their toilets all at once,
along with the kitchen and other disposals blocking the lines. He said
Saturday CNCC was shut down from the water system all night so the town could
get rid of the blockage in the main trunk. “Now there are 1,200 inmates
flushing their toilets and we’ve had our furniture replaced three times. The
house is disinfected after each incident, but each time the sewage is just
pumped from the basement out to the side of our house and on our sidewalk and
left there. No one has come to clean it up yet, we have to do it. I am
worried about diseases health wise - the smell, the condoms, plastic gloves
and other garbage. We don’t know if we are dealing with AIDS. We found one
condom with a white substance in it that has been sent away for testing. It’s
a nightmare. At this point we don’t know where we stand.” Mayor Anita Dubeau, the deputy mayor Randy Robbins and CAO George
Vadeboncoeur, were all on the scene Saturday immediately after being
called. Dubeau says there is “no doubt” CNCC
is to blame for what is happening. “It’s being caused by someone at the
facility flushing things into the system. I saw it myself, a large mass of
cloth - sheets that were ripped and braided, toweling and other materials - a
great big blob of stuff flushed down and coming through the system. It was
frozen solid and caused the blockage,” she said. But the answer to the
problem lies in the delayed installation of a monster auger at CNCC valued
between $250,000-$500,000. The giant grinder will collect plastic waste or
inorganics, cut them up and separate them for disposal to landfill.
(The Free Press)
March 3, 2003
Murray Robinson has seen the inside of a jail cell on more than one occasion,
but it's the time he spent in Ontario's first and only privately run jail
that's the stuff of his nightmares. "People treat their dogs
better than that," said Robinson, 47, of Barrie, who was released from
Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene on Jan. 16 after serving
seven months of an 11-month sentence for impaired driving. But when he
arrived at the seven-month-old provincial incarceration centre last June 16,
he said he realized that things in a jail run for profit would be very
different. "I'm a big man. I like to eat. But the food was no good
and the portions were minuscule, I went to bed hungry every night I was
there," said Robinson who worked for Molson Breweries in Barrie for 20
years until it closed down four years ago. "They call three leaves
of wilted lettuce a salad. They're cutting corners to make money at the
inmate's expense," he said, comparing the food to what he has eaten in
publicly run jails where it is plain but plentiful and well
prepared. During the strike last year by the Ontario Public
Service Employees Union, John Kolakowski, 33, of
Toronto was transferred to the superjail from the
jail in Windsor, Ont., where he was serving a 90-day sentence for
assault. He said staffing levels at the superjail
put his life at risk. Kolakowski did get
medical attention within 90 minutes after another inmate bit off the lobe of Kolakowski's left ear in a fight over who should control
the volume of the television in the common area. But the fight went on
for 15 minutes before jail guards intervened, Kolakowski
said. "I'm left mutilated because they've cut back to the bare
minimum to cut costs. There's not enough staff to keep people in there
safe," said Kolakowski who launched a $150,000
lawsuit against the superjail and its management in
October. His suit claims the private operator risks the security of
inmates. Thomson repeatedly has refused to discuss staffing levels of
guards at the jail, citing security reasons. The union, which won
certification by a 70 per cent vote of jail guards, raised safety concerns
when the number of guards on duty overnight was cut in September.
Previously, there had been three guards on duty overnight in each of the six
pods accommodating about 180 prisoners per pod. The number of guards was cut
to two as a cost-cutting measure, the union claimed at the time. One week
later frustrated inmates rioted. They were objecting to what they called poor
medical care, bad food, strip searches of inmates on kitchen duty and lack of
access to facilities such as the library. (Toronto Star)
March 2, 2003
It's still too early to tell if having private prisons in Ontario is going to
work, said Brant MPP Dave Levac. But he
already has a good idea that the one in Penetanguishene isn't working, based
on what he has seen and heard about the jail. "We can say they don't
work in the rest of the world. (Private prison operators) are just like
locusts eating grain. They move on when the grain is gone. In this case, the
grain is money." Levac said he stopped
by to check on the health conditions of the inmates, along with the physical
state of the building itself. He had questions about the medical
treatment of inmates, and about the riot that happened in September.
"I haven't been given any answer about the riot, we are still waiting
for a report. I want to know how much it has cost, and if the ministry will
be getting the bill." He warned that if the situation doesn't
improve, there will be an even bigger riot. "Two of the pods are
still in a lockdown, and sooner or later that idea doesn't work. You have to
make sure the correctional officers run the facility, not the inmates.
(Simcoe County Online)
February 28, 2003
The health of ailing inmates at Canada's first and only privately run jail is
often at risk due to inappropriate medical care, says the head of the emergency
department at a nearby hospital. Dr. Martin McNamara, of the Huronia
District Hospital in Midland, whose department sees about two inmates from
the Central North Correctional Centre daily, says some arrive writhing in
agony because they haven't received proper pain medication, or with physical
conditions that have worsened through neglect. Delays in medical care
in some cases have been so serious that "yes, the health of the inmate
has been put at risk," said McNamara, who added that he wasn't blaming
the doctors or nurses employed there. McNamara's voice is the latest in
a growing chorus of judges, lawyers and activists critical of the for-profit
institution guaranteeing, they say, its bottom-line results by minimizing
inmate care. The institution has denied the accusations. McNamara
said his department has treated inmates with wounds that have become
seriously infected due to neglect and fractured bones that haven't been
X-rayed and set. As well, he said more serious illnesses have been
ignored because it was thought the inmate "was faking it or making it
up," he said. One of McNamara's own patients, who broke his jaw
before he was incarcerated at the jail more than three weeks ago, is still
waiting to see a dentist. "As of two days ago, he was still
wandering around in pain with a broken jaw," he said. Doug
Thomson, who has been running the jail for U.S.-based Management Training
Company (MTC) since it opened just over one year ago, disputes McNamara's
claims. "We meet the standards laid out in our contract," he
said. That's not how Dr. Paul Humphries, the senior medical consultant
to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, saw it when he visited the
jail last December. Humphries, in an interview yesterday, said that
when he visited the jail, he pulled medical charts of a number of inmates at
random and found a number of instances where the "institution was not
compliant with ministry policies." "There were a few things
we didn't like ... it's not the way our other (public) institutions are
run," he said. McNamara has high praise for the doctors and nurse
practitioners who struggle to run the jail's recently opened infirmary.
"They're doing a really good job, but one doctor for (1,100 inmates at a
time) is woefully inadequate," said McNamara. Last week, Justice
Elizabeth Earle-Renton spoke out at the trial of Ryan Skillen, 24, a suicidal
man who blew off part of his hand while placing a homemade bomb on a path
used by Barrie high school students. "The court is not blind to
what is happening and what is not happening at the Central North Correctional
Centre," said Earle-Renton. She said judges, crown attorneys and defence lawyers have been expressing in court, and
"certainly in private for some time," that based on the
"information we receive, the situation at the correctional centre is not
particularly good and not helpful to inmates." Noting Skillen's
fragile mental state, Earle-Renton said that she would recommend he serve his
18-month sentence in the Ontario Correctional Institute in Guelph, where
mental health assessments are carried out. Skillen's lawyer Mitch Eisen
told Earle-Renton that a jail run for profit has little incentive to transfer
inmates to another facility. "They want to collect the head
tax," said Eisen. Defence lawyer Ben Fedchuk told a Barrie court in December that the jail's
lack of concern for the medical well being of inmates was
"scandalous." Requests for medical attention for one of his
clients, who was in the jail awaiting trial, were ignored even after a judge
recommended the man get medical attention, said Fedchuk
in an interview yesterday. Complaints about the jail's medical
practices are the latest in list of issues at Ontario's experimental
facility. Last month, the jail ended the practice of having the race of
inmates on their photo ID tags following complaints that it was a violation
of human rights. Last September, more than 100 inmates rioted and tried
to escape using a battering ram. Since then, a third of the inmate
population has remained in lockdown and are in their cells 19 hours a day
unless they are attending school or special training. A day before the
riot, 187 guards voted to unionize. McNamara said it took sending a
letter to the local medical officer of health before a hepatitis B vaccination
program was initiated for the jail guards. "They were coming in
with bites and scratches so they were at serious risk," he said.
Public-run institutions vaccinate each of their staff against Hepatitis B for
about $100 each. "But in a private-run enterprise, profit comes at
the expense of the workers and that's abhorrent," said McNamara.
In discussions with the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and jail
management before the facility opened, the local hospital was told to expect
to see about one inmate a week in the emergency department.
"Instead of that we're seeing on average two a day. I saw three myself
this morning (Wednesday)," said McNamara. "I'm hearing too
much of this," said Justice Gary Palmer in court on Dec. 23, 2002, after
learning that a man brought before him on drunk driving charges was not
getting his prescription medication at the jail. MPP David Levac (Brant), the Liberal prisons critic who visited the
jail on Tuesday, said he's been hearing a lot about it. "A lot of the
complaints centre around inmates not getting their medication," said Levac. He described the atmosphere at the jail as
"volatile." "They've had one riot about conditions at
the jail and I can tell you that conditions are ripe for another," said Levac. (Toronto Star)
February 19, 2003
For the second time in three weeks, correctional officers at Canada's first
privatized adult correctional facility have voted to reject the employer's
offer for a first contract. Union members voted over 95 per cent to reject
the offer. More than 94 per cent of the members turned out for the
vote. Sean Wilson, a correctional officer and bargaining team member
for OPSEU Local 369, says that his members are adamant that they receive
parity with the Ontario Public Service (OPS). "This employer
doesn't seem to get it," Wilson said. "Over the years,
correctional officers in the OPS have set the standards for compensation and
safe workplaces. Our members will not accept sub-standard conditions so that
an American firm can rake in profits. That is an insult to our members, and
should be an insult to every citizen in this area. We are not second-class
workers, and this is not a second-class town. We do the exact same work as
every other correctional officer in every other Ontario jail." The
employer's latest offer improved wages to equal those of OPS correctional
officers, but do not reach that level until Nov. 15, 2004. The offer
also included a slight improvement to vacation time, but that improvement
would not come into effect until the year 2006. The employer still refuses to
negotiate shift premiums, pregnancy and parental top-up allowances or
improvements to statutory holiday pay, all of which OPS correctional officers
receive. When contacted by The Mirror on Tuesday, a spokesman for
Management and Training Corporation Canada (MTCC), the operators of the
Penetanguishene correctional facility, expressed disappointment that the
union had rejected the latest offer made by the company. (Simcoe)
February 13, 2003
The provincial super jail in Penetanguishene is no place to celebrate a
birthday, says ex-convict Bill Peters. “I didn’t get a cake. I got
tear-gassed.” Peters turned 54 on Sept. 19, 2002 ,
while serving a six-month sentence for driving with a suspended licence and failing to appear in court. There were no
paper hats and noise-makers on his big day. No birthday cake or presents
either. But there was an after-dinner riot to mark the occasion. Upset about
minuscule portions of food, cramped exercise space, a smoking prohibition,
lack of prompt medical and dental care and the suffocating atmosphere of the
institution, prisoners predictably revolted, said Peters. “Everything builds
up, then blows.” Instead of blowing out birthday candles, inmates shattered
the overhead lights by whipping food trays at the ceiling. By the time the
riot squad appeared in their Darth Vader costumes to hog-tie the rioters and
drag them into another section of the prison, three cell blocks holding about
100 inmates were in shambles, said Peters. “Everything was smashed all over
the floor. The place was just destroyed.” During the mayhem, inmates broke
blocks of concrete off shower walls, wrapped the blocks in bed sheets to make
wrecking balls and smashed through steel doors separating cell blocks, said
Peters. “They didn’t think prisoners were so resourceful.” When the riot
squad in their helmets and breathing apparatus barged into his cell, Peters
was on his bunk reading a book. But he got the same treatment as everyone
else, spending the balance of his sentence in a 24-hour lock-down with no
clothes, soap or towel for the first week and no mattress on the steel bed.
It was three days before he got any pain medication, said Peters. “With my
back I was in agony. But all the screaming and yelling isn’t going to do any
good. Nobody listens.” “It’s brutal,” says Peters. a resident of
Orillia since 1989. “You’ll never get me back in there. I’ll go to the
penitentiary first.” Peters said a friend of his, recently sentenced to 18
months, asked for two years so he could go to a federal penitentiary rather
than the super jail. “There’s nothing to do, just walk
around in a circle,” said Peters. “It’s like Medieval times. The
system’s going backwards.” The prohibition on smoking has created a lucrative
black market in the super jail with cigarettes costing $10 apiece, twice the
price of a marijuana joint. The explosion of anger in the September riot was
inevitable, said Peters, who says the super jail is the most inhumane
institution he’s ever been locked inside. (The Packet and Times)
February 12, 2003
Guards at the Central North Correctional (CNCC) will no longer be wearing ID
tags with personal information on them.
The issue arose when guards expressed concern that lost or misplaced
ID tags could end up in the hands of prisoners. They feared not only for
their personal and family safety, but that the information including date of
birth and personal descriptions, could be used for fraud. (The Free
Press)
February 7, 2003
A year after Penetanguishene's Super Jail opened to it's
first inmate, the argument over privatization continues to fester. The
community initially embraced the prospect of having another public
institution next to the Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre, expanding upon
its long history with the civil service. And then the province announced it
would become Canada 's first privately-run jail. A litany of problems have since plagued the Central North Correctional Centre.
Several lawsuits and complaints insinuate abuse and disregard for the inmate's
health and welfare. Food, health and the security of inmates are compromised,
say critics. They argue that the flow of information is minimal because the
operators can hide behind the veil of privacy. "Halfway through the
construction the game changed," said Penetanguishene's Deputy Mayor
Randy Robbins. 'We still have some outstanding issues." And now there
are concerns that a faulty waste disposal system at the jail is clogging the
town's sewer system with food waste, latex gloves and toothbrushes. The
bacteria level believed to be coming from the jail was measured 1,000 per
cent above the legal limit. Robbins argues that the public service is
responsible for maintaining order and arresting criminals. It is also
responsible for the ultimate judgment of the individual. Leaving issues of
jailing and rehabilitation to the public sector doesn't make sense, he
argues. "It's not working out," he said. "I believe the
pendulum is going the other way in the United States .
"Ultra conservatism demanded it be tried. But it didn't work."
Harvey Briggs, a Laurentian University professor teaching at Georgian College
in Barrie , comes to the same conclusion. Briggs'
area of concentration has been on the war on drugs in the United States . He concludes it's been a real boom for the
private jail industry. And now immigrant detainees are feeding the country's
private jail system. "The big argument in the U.S. was massive savings,
but they never did materialize," he adds. (Midland Free Press)
February
7, 2003
The name tag controversy at the Central North Correctional Centre will be
settled by Feb. 6. The facility’s next meeting of the Health and Safety
Committee is scheduled for that day, and CNCC administrator Doug Thomson said
he wants a solution finalized then. Thomson said all MTC identification tags
follow the same format, however the CNCC tags are generated in Canada and
provided to the staff. (The Free Press)
February 4, 2003
The lobe of John Kolakowski's left ear lay in a freezer
at Penetanguishene's new Super Jail for three months before it was finally
thrown away. The ear, severed during a struggle with another inmate, has
become the subject of a lawsuit against the year-old Central North
Correctional Centre. Kolakowski charges that jail
officials did nothing to prevent a scuffle from escalating into a fight,
ultimately ending with Kolakowski's assailant
biting off one-third of his ear. Kolakowski's
complaint is one of a growing list. A great many focus on the lack of attention
to health concerns. There are charges
that inmates are left to suffer such serious consequences from ill health,
their treatment is tantamount to inhumane. There have been complaints to the
Ontario College of Nurses over treatment there, as well as the Ombudsman's
office. A Barrie
lawyer says it's not acceptable. The absence of medical attention
in the jail violates basic rights.
"I'm investigating potential breaches of Section 7 of the Charter
of Human Rights and Freedoms due to the treatment, or lack of medical
treatment, in the Super Jail," said Bernard Keating. He has issued five notices of intent to sue
the provincial government and Management Training Corporation, three dealing
with concerns over health. The jail
managers, Management Training Corporation, sub-contracts health services,
education and food services to other organizations. First Correctional
Medical takes care of the medical issues in the jail. Jail officials won't say specifically what
medical services are provided, the number of medical staff
working at the jail or the hours they are there. Superintendent Doug Thompson
said the coverage is considered adequate. Two Barrie
moms beg to differ. Sharon Storring and
Debbie Abbott have both launched a volley of complaints against the jail.
They say the health of their sons, who are both in the jail awaiting trial,
has been compromised. On Ryan Skillen's sixth day in Penetanguishene's Super
Jail, a nurse removed bandages from his hand to reveal a swollen and infected
wound. Because of his frail medical
condition Skillen was lodged in the jail's medical unit for his entire month
stay. Yet requests for daily bandage replacements on his recently-operated
hand fell on deaf ears. When he
finally got fresh bandages, puss was seeping out from under some of the 78
stitches and parts were red and swollen. The lack of attention to Skillen's
wounds, ignored requests to tend to his bipolar disorder, or manic depression
which worsened in jail, and a missed follow-up appointment have prompted complaints
to the Ontario College of Nurses and the Ontario
ombudsman. When the
provincial government announced the new jail would be privatized Sharon Dion
let her voice be heard. Now she heads Citizens Against Private Prisons. She argues that people should care about
what goes on in the jail because it could ultimately affect the community.
And she points to September's uprising. Officials have revealed little about
Sept. 19 because it remains under investigation, although charges are
expected. "The riot is an indication that something is wrong," said
Dion, who has been trying to keep track of the concerns. (Midland Free
Press)
January 22, 2003
Guards
at Penetanguishene's Super Jail want to know why the province appears to be
more concerned about the privacy of inmates than they are over the security
and privacy of the people who guard them.
Identification tags worn by prisoners were recently changed after
concerns were raised the tags violated prisoner civil rights because of
personal information contained on the tag.
Guards say similar tags they must wear could provide information to
inmates that could allow them to get pieces of identification and credit
cards in the name of the guards.
Guards spoke to the Free Press on the condition of anonymity. They said
they were afraid of reprisals from the operators of the institution and the
prisoners. The front of the tags include a photo of the guard, the guard's first and last
name and initial and signature. The back of the tags also have the guard's
height, weight, eye colour, hair colour and date of birth.
Guards claim their families have been called at home by inmates as a
result of information culled from the tags.
The privately-run institution's policy is radically different and
according to the Penetanguishene facility guards', more dangerous than that
of the publicly run institutions. (The Free Press)
January 11, 2003
Our country, our rules. If you want to do business here, you better get
a copy of our rulebook. That means if you are an American corporation
hired to run Ontario's first privatized jail, you should understand the rules
and sensibilities in this providence. And that means you do not make
people, even if they are inmates in a jail, wear badges around their necks
listing whether they are black, white, Hispanic or any other race. The
company decided to end the practice after it was brought to light by a report
in the Star. But the jail has been open 14 months. Why did it
take so long for someone to notice and object? Private jails are terrible
ideas. In the U.S., they have not proven to be cheaper or safer or more
efficient. When the Ontario jail opened, the Corrections Ministry
promised it would keep a close eye on things. But is it? Last
September, 100 inmates tried to escape. The attempt came one week after
safety concerns were raised about a 50-percent cut in overnight guards at the
facility. Even now, months later, nearly half of the jail's prisoners
remain on partial lockdown. (Toronto Star)
January 11, 2003
Canada's only privately run superjail has ended the
practice of noting the race of inmates on their photo ID tags following
complaints it was a violation of human rights and consistent with racial
profiling. The decision came within hours of a report in the Star on
the measure used at the Central North Correction Centre in Penetanguishene,
Ont., said Doug Thomson, the jail's administrator. (Toronto Star)
January 10, 2003
Ontario's
only privately run jail is being accused of racial profiling by requiring
inmates to wear detailed photo identification tags that include their
race. The Central North Correctional
Centre in Penetanguishene, run by a U.S.-based private
corrections company, is the only facility in the Ontario corrections system
that does it. "This is a perfect
example of systemic racism ... and I have no doubt it is a breach of the
Ontario Human Rights Act and I have absolutely no doubt that it is
unconstitutional," Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer said yesterday. The practice was revealed by Liberal critic
MPP David Levac (Brant) and confirmed by a
spokesperson for Public Safety and Security Minister Bob Runciman and by an
official with the jail. Runciman
spokesperson Jamie Wallace said a senior ministry official will look into the
appropriateness of the card, even though the information has been gathered
since the maximum-security jail opened in November 2001. "We will have a talk with MTC
(Management and Training Corporation-Canada) and with the superintendent and
find out why they are using this particular information and make sure it is
consistent with ministry policy," Wallace said. (Toronto Star)
January 8, 2003
Two Simcoe County moms, with sons in jail, have
formed an organization to protect prisoners at the Penetanguishene jail.
Sharon Storring-Skillen
is ready to listen to inmates at the Central North Correction Centre in
Penetanguishene to see how they are being treated. Storring-Skillen is the director of FAPPA (Families Against
Private Prisons Abuse), a group she started to make sure inmates aren't neglected.
Her interest revolves around her son Ryan
Skillen, who has been jailed for months. Her son is in custody
for creating a pipebomb and setting it off in a
field in Barrie this summer. doctor requested his bandages be changed
daily, to prevent infection. But Storring-Skillen
said that didn't happen. "There was one time he wore the same dressing
for six days. There was swelling and he had to go on antibiotics. Ryan also
had a checkup with Dr. Ross, and the jail cancelled that medical appointment,
because I believe they didn't want to drive to London." And she
found a friend in Debbie Abbott, deputy director of FAPPA. "My son
Mike Abbott is in the jail after a fight in Barrie on April 6. He was hit
with a billy club and had a mild concussion,"
said Abbott. He was not sent to the hospital, but instead went directly
to Penetanguishene, and approximately two months later, he had a seizure and
hit his head on the cement, she said. "He was finally taken to the
hospital, but because it was time for the guards to change shifts, he had no
CAT scan." Abbott called Penetanguishene resident Sharon Dion,
chairperson of Citizens Against Private Prisons, to complain, and she was put
in touch with Storring-Skillen. "As a parent,
it's hard to imagine not being able to give your child basic medical
care," said Abbott. She said the riot at the jail in September was over
lack of medical treatment, and she predicts there will be more problems if
the situation is not changed. (Simcoe County online)
December 24, 2002
It will be a grim for nearly half the inmates at Ontario's first privately
run jail who remain on a partial lockdown three months after an attempted
escape by more than 100 inmates. The partial lockdown is "not
going to change any time soon," said Vicky Robertson, a spokesperson at
the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene. An Ontario
court judge yesterday expressed concern about the treatment of some of the
prisoners at the facility. "I'm hearing too much of this," said
Justice Gary Palmer after learning that a man brought before him on drunk
driving charges was not getting his prescription at the jail because of the
lockdown. Palmer issued an order for the man to get his
medication. (Toronto Star)
December 6, 2002
Doug Thomson is pleased to have received a gold reward for service delivery
at the jail in Penetanguishene. Thomson, facility administrator, was
surprised by the award, which was handed out by the Canadian Council for
Public-Private Partnerships. "It's a cross-Canada award to the
government or municipality for initiative," said Thomson. But Dave
Levac, MPP for Brant, and Liberal critic for the
public safety and security, said he is appalled by the award. "I
have been contacted by former and current employees at the Central North
Correctional Centre and have heard about numerous incidents on breaches of
security. I have heard about staff not being given meal breaks during
their shifts. I am appalled by these actions and it does not end
there," said Levac in a letter. He questions
whether there is enough staff on duty to minimize criminal incidents, and he
hopes the government will put an end to privately-run jail facilities in
Canada. (The Mirror)
December 1, 2002
OPSEU representative Dan Marshall says he can understand why the Pentanguishene jail has been in a lock-down situation
since a riot in September. But he worries the jail may be asking for
another riot by keeping inmates in their cells for most of the days and
nights. "It's been a rather long lock down. In the public
jail system, we would have them for maybe one day or two, " said
Marshall, who used to work as a correctional officer in Barrie.
"But we never had a riot of that size. I can understand it
happening with that amount of damage." Marshall said it is easier
for Management and Training Corporation-Canada to maintain security by
keeping inmates under lock and key. (The Mirror)
November 26, 2002
I am writing in response to a statement made by Garfield Dunlop. MPP Simcoe
North in the Ontario Legislature in November 26, 2002 regarding the Central
North Correctional Centre located in Pentanguishene.
I was appalled as I listened to Mr. Dunlop praise Management and Training
Corp. Canada for operating a "correctional center (that
) has represented a win-win situation for everyone involved, including
the inmates." Obviously Mr. Dunlop is quite ill-informed when it
comes to actual occurrences at CNCC where, over the past year, there have
been countless problems with many areas at the super jail. I have been
contacted by former and current employees at CNCC and have heard about
numerous incidents on breached of security such as garbage cans holding open
doors to secure areas, leaving an entire section unsecured. I have
heard about staff not being given meal breaks during their shifts. I
have even witnessed the wrath of the CNCC management when they find out an
employee has contacted my office to discuss activities at the super
jail. I am appalled by these actions and it does not end there.
My office has been flooded with calls over the past year from family members
of inmates at CNCC that have been refused access to medical care. A
diabetic inmate's friend called my office because the inmate was unable to
control his diabetes through diet alone and needed medical treatment.
He had been requesting for weeks to see a doctor or nurse and had always been
refused and never did see a doctor before his release when his health was in
decline due to the inaction of CNCC. I was outraged this past week when
it came to my attention that a male inmate had been sodomized while in
custody at the jail last weekend. I am also aware that he was beaten by
another inmate while in a video-monitored common room and received severe
injuries before a guards arrived. I would not classify these incidents
as a "positive experience with the correctional center" as Garfield
Dunlop described. It is my hope that the government will soon realize
that allowing private (U.S. -based) corporations to run our correctional centres while making a profit is not the way to safely
incarcerate those that break our laws nor do I believe that our community's
safety and security is served Dunlop's arrogance at proclaiming the complete
success of this experiment before it is even finished is, at best, ill-advised
and, at worst, deceptive. Respectfully, Dave Levac,
MPP Liberal Public Safety and Securtiy Critic
November 17, 2002
The
Superjail has until Monday Nov. 18 to employ a new
waste disposal system and stop clogging the town’s sewer system with food waste,
Penetanguishene council charged at its working committee of council meeting
last week. And by Nov. 28, councillors commanded,
there should be no more latex gloves, toothbrushes and food containers
flowing inside the pipes enroute to the Fox Street sewage plant. That’s the
bottom line, said town chief administrative officer George Vadeboncoeur “If
they don’t comply, we’ll issue another letter with the same tight deadline,
and if they don’t comply, then we’ll go to court,” said Vadeboncoeur. Council
was especially alarmed when it learned that the bacteria level suspected to
be coming from the Central North Correctional Centre measured 1,000 per cent
above the legal level. Meanwhile, the town has submitted the bill of the
cleaning effort to the province for a reimbursement, he said, while adding
that expense excludes an additional $38,000 the town spent on hauling out
sludge from CNCC.
November
10, 2002
Toothbrushes, rubber gloves, packets of ketchup, syringes, and creamers are
all being found at the Penetanguishene sewage plant, just downstream from the
jail. But that's just one of the problems that council has been facing
over the past few months at the Fox Street Sewage System. The Town of
Penetanguishene has seen two major problems at the sewage plant, one dealing
with plastic products being put into the system, and another with the amount
of food going down the drain. Councillors at
Wednesday night's meeting discussed whether to press charges against
Management and Training Corporation-Canada, the company running the jail, for
throwing garbage down the drain. It takes staff two weeks to clean out
the bacteria using chlorine, and it is costing the town big dollars.
"Normally, our maximum measurement of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) we
are able to have is 300," said chief executive officer George
Vadeboncoeur. "We've had readings at the super jail that are close
to 3,000 in the last few months." Deputy Mayor Randy Robbins
threatened to turn off the taps until the problem is solved.
"We've been strung along before, like when we asked the minister if the
jail would pay taxes, and they are not. I'm tired of hearing the MTC
would like to do something, but they don't own the building. Maybe we
should reduce their inflow until they solve this," said Robbins.
(The Mirror)
November 4, 2002
One of Ontario's most exceptional reforms involved the establishment of the
province's first privately run jail, the Central North Correctional Centre,
situated about 95 miles north of Toronto in Penetanguishene. The "super
jail" is owned by U.S. -- based Management and Training Corporation -
Canada. Questions about the facility arose after a September 19
uprising of 100 prisoners who used a battering ram to try to escape.
The "mini-riot" broke out one week after overnight staffing levels
were reduced by 50%. The administrator Doug Thompson, who confirmed
there had been other incidents since the jail opened almost one year ago,
played down the September escape attempt, calling it an "intimate
disturbance." But Dan Marshall, a former prison guard and now an
organizing representative with the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union
maintains the jail is unsafe. "Part of the reason the riot
occurred is that the jail is privately run," argues Mr. Marshall, who
recently succeeded in organizing 187 Central North prison guards. "It's
all about the money. If the company had hired another 10 or 15 staff, that
would cost almost $40,000 a year each, which eats into the business'
$35-milllion-a-year contract." (Report Newsmagazine)
September 30, 2002
Early on Sept.20, there was a disturbance at the Central North Correctional
Facility in Penetanguishene. From my vantage point in the front of the
super jail, I was observing the amazing and colorful traffic flow into the
facility. Countless OPP cruisers and officers were in attendance, along
with all available canine units, a ambulance, mobile
command units, and the tactical squad. Why is responsible for the costs
involved in paying for the massive police presence at the super jail during
such a situation? Who is responsible for the costs involved in paying
for any damages caused to the buildings during such a situation, since the
buildings and the land they stand on are government property? Is the
Ontario taxpayer responsible, or is it private operators of the jail?
The people of Penetanguishene and surrounding area were told that the jail
would be a government-operated facility. But since the government
changed the game plan, it's now a for-profit correctional facility.
Will the taxpayer be saved the amount of money that the government envisioned
from a privately-run jail? Dawn Marie Horn, Midland. (Simcoe.com)
September 25, 2002
The
investigation continues at the jail, after inmates revolted early Friday.
"The institution remains in a lockdown while we are doing security
reviews," said Doug Thomson, facility administrator. Tear gas had to be
used to help get the 187 inmates under control, after they refused to return
to their cells for the night, just after midnight. Dan Marshall, organizing
representative from OPSEU, said inmates in pod 4 had makeshift weapons.
Marshall said pod 4 will be in a lockdown for some time. The disturbance took
place the day after correctional officers voted in favour
of joining OPSEU. (The Mirror)
September
25, 2002
Staff at the Penetanguishene super jail Ontario Public Service Employee
Union. "They told us this was coming," said Dan Marshall. For this
reason, 70 per cent of the 187 correctional officers at the Central North
Correctional Centre voted in favour of unionizing
with OPSEU, the only union representing correctional officers in Ontario,
Marshall said. "Although the union can't prevent riots at CNCC, it will
help improve health and safety issues there. Incidents like riots will get
filtered out more quickly as soon as the union executive takes office
there," Marshall said. Between 60-100 sentenced inmates attempted to
escape the jail by breaking through several security areas with makeshift
weapons. Chair of Citizens Against Private Prisons (CAPP) group, Sharon Dion
said she had spoken with some of CNCC's correctional officers, and she was
told "it was inevitable something was going to blow up." "They
had concerns about working with untrained staff, officers who lacked experience
in working in a jail," Dion said Friday morning. Dion said she was told
there man-made weapons used in the riot, and wondered how they became
accessible to inmates. Dion said she was glad the union was voted in just a
day earlier. "It's very disturbing when you see 60 police cars speeding
by your house. Something is wrong. I'm just glad no one was hurt and that the
union is now in to help with these issues." The riot squad used tear gas
to suppress those inmates and they were contained within their living areas,
said jail administrator Doug Thomson. CNCC is the first privately-run jail in
the province. It has 1,184 beds, including 32 for female offenders. Midland
resident Dawn Marie Horn who drove out with her 19-year-old son said she was
still shaken by the incident late Friday morning. "It looked like a
Hollywood production of a prison movie," she said. "As I was
driving in my car, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a chain of
cruisers with flashing lights. They were pouring in from all sides of the
street." (The Free Press)
September
24, 2002
Correctional officers at the Central North Correctional Centre in
Penetanguishene have voted 70 percent in favour of
unionizing through the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. The
certification vote was held on Wednesday, and OPSEU organizer Dan Marshall
was very pleased with the results. “They were working brutal eight hour
schedules, seven days on, two days off and a lot of double shifts,” said
Marshall. “Health and safety is a big concern. That’s is a big thing with us in
corrections, with this environment.” Marshall said that reception from MTC
has “not been good”. He said correctional facilities in the United States
“don’t particularly like unions”. OPSEU hosted several information sessions
for CNCC workers at the Best Western in Midland, which he says were well
attended. Marshall said workers were scared about what would happen with
management and wanted to know how the bargaining would work. Workers also had
concerns about reprisals by management. The main points of contention include
12 hour work schedules, with a compressed work week most likely involving
three days on and two days off. He said OPSEU would push for one week off
every six weeks which is common with correctional job scheduling. They will
also try to get a wage increase for workers of about $2 per hour. “Right now
their top rate is $22.32 and we are already making two dollars more than
that,” said Marshall. “They deserve more. They are doing the same job as us
with less people. Part of the plan is to get more employees. Currently they
are understaffed.” (The Free Press)
September
24, 2002
Correctional officers at the Central North Correctional Centre in Pentanguishene have voted 70 percent in favour of unionizing through the Ontario Public Service
Employees Union. The certification vote was held on Wednesday, and
OPSEU organizer Dan Marshall was very pleased with the results.
"They were working brutal eight 8 schedules, seven days on, two days off
and a lot of double shifts," said Marshall. "Health and
safety is a big concern. That's is a big thing with us in corrections,
with this environment." Marshall said that reception from MTC has
"not been good". He said correctional facilities in the United
States "don't particularly like unions." Marshall said
workers were scared about what would happen with management and wanted to
know how the bargaining would work. Workers also had concerns about
reprisals by management. The main points of contention include 12 hour
work schedules, with a compressed work week most likely involving three days
on and two days off. He said OPSEU would push for one week off every
six weeks which is common with correctional
job scheduling. They will also try to get a wage increase for workers
of about $2 per hour. "Right now their top rate is $22.32 and we
are already making two dollars more than that," said Marshall.
"They deserve more. They are doing the same job as us with less
people. Part of the plan is to get more employees. Currently they
are understaffed. (The Free Press)
September
22, 2002
Jail officials say the public was never at risk following a mini-riot at a
new "super jail" in this city about 150 kilometers north of
Toronto. Jail administrator Doug Thomson would not confirm reports that
more than 100 inmates used a battering ram in an unsuccessful attempt to
break out. Reports from the scene said the prisoners were armed with
makeshift weapons and breached several security areas. More than 60
provincial police officers circled the jail during the disturbances to ensure
that no-one escaped. The massive jail, with its 1,200 beds, has a
number of high-tech security measures. But during its construction,
unionized Ontario jail guards and area residents expressed concerns about
public safety. (The Star.com)
September 20, 2002
More than 100 inmates used a battering ram to attempt an escape from the
Penetanguishene superjail after a riot broke out
early today. Ontario Provincial Police were called in from surrounding
detachments to block the prisoners' escape from the Central North
Correctional Centre. The inmates broke through several areas of security and
were attempting to break down a fire door in their final bid for freedom. The
OPP said the inmates were also armed with makeshift weapons and crude gas
masks as they attempted to storm the facility located about 50 kilometres north of Barrie. "We've got a major
incident on the go at the Penetanguishene jail," said a senior OPP
officer at the general headquarters in Orillia. "We're trying to muster
as many forces as we can at this point but I'm not sure how many officers are
involved." OPP police dispatchers summoned all available officers in the
Barrie, Midland and Orillia areas to the scene at the outskirts of a
residential area in the Georgian Bay community. Heavily armed police,
including the tactical rescue unit and the canine unit, set up positions
around the jail. OPP officers expressed concerns the fence surrounding the
facility is not electrified. The privately run Penetanguishene facility,
which opened last year, is one of three superjails
planned for the province. (The Star.com)
July 16, 2002
Ontario
taxpayers paid thousands of dollars for dinners, booze, snacks, lunches, dry
cleaning and travel for former corrections minister Rob Sampson and his
staff, according to government documents. When Sampson was corrections
minister — a post he lost in the April cabinet shuffle — he was livid when he
discovered a plan to buy $80 basketballs and a $1,200 CD player for the
women's jail at Milton's Maplehurst Correctional
Centre. At the time, Sampson said: "We want to make sure that taxpayers'
money is spent wisely and effectively . During the
15-month period, Sampson and his 11 ministerial staff spent a total of
$20,338.72. Of that amount, $6,778.69 went to food and booze and another
$5,427.32 for hotels. Sampson said when the government was looking at private
prisons he talked to many people from around the globe and would "pay
them back by entertaining them. ... I don't think that is anything
unusual." For example, he said, when he was in Tampa, Fla., learning
more about electronic monitoring he took officials there out for dinner.
Liberal MPP Dave Levac (Brant) called Sampson's
expenses further proof "that these guys are living high on the hog and
I'm offended by it and I know all reasonable people are offended by it."
New Democratic Party MPP Peter Kormos (Niagara
Centre) said this kind of "wining and dining" was
"repugnant" on several levels. "These are the people who cut
welfare rates by almost 22 per cent, haven't given disability pensions one
penny in increase over the lasts seven years, yet
he eats at the poshest restaurants," Kormos
said.
March 26, 2002
An
Ontario-wide warrant has been issued for a man unlawfully at large after the
province's first privately run super jail let him out by accident. He was at
the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty
to another breach of probation. Brenton Lorne Weston was sentenced to an
additional 45 days to be served on weekends but when he was returned to the
jail that night, he was set free. (Thestar.com)
November 16, 2001
Problems at Penetanguishene’s new privately-operated ‘superjail’
are multiplying only days after the facility accepted its first inmates,
leaving critics calling for increased government monitoring. On
Tuesday, staff at the state-of-the-art $85 million jail said the facility
could not take messages for inmates, severing communications from the outside
world. "We are not set up to take messages for prisoners. This is
not a government jail now. Things have changed," said an unnamed
employee at the Central North Correctional Centre. "There are
going to be 1,200 inmates in here and we can’t take messages for 1,200 inmates,"
he said, before hanging up on an "urgent, personal" message for one
of the 25 inmates who arrived in the maximum-security facility on
Saturday. Repeated calls from the Examiner went unanswered earlier in
the day - no one at the jail picked up the phone. These complications
come in the wake of inmates’ complaints about the new jail, which include
being forced to stay indoors because winter jackets were unavailable.
That issue was later resolved after inmates threatened a hunger strike.
(The Barrie Examiner)
November 12, 2001
Canada's first privately run super-jail quietly opened this weekend.
"Our community is part of the experiment, but as usual we didn't get to
hear anything," Sharon Dion, who lives across the road from the Central
North Correctional Centre on the outskirts of Penetanguishene, said
yesterday. Residents got wind something was happening though the rumour mill at local coffee shops, but the provincial
corrections ministry insisted the 1,184-bed facility wouldn't open until the
end of the month, said Deputy Mayor Randy Robbins. So news the first 18
inmates had arrived from Parry Sound on Saturday came as quite a shock.
"What did they think we were going to do, lay in the road to stop them
coming through?" said Robbins. A message from provincial
Corrections Minister Rob Sampson's office arrived by fax at the town hall
Friday at 4:20 p.m., advising the nine-member council of this town of 8,500
that the jail operated by a private U.S. corrections company was
opening. That was 20 minutes after the employee who distributes mail
left for the weekend, said Robbins. "Is this the way we are going
to find out about everything that happens there?" asked Robbins, who
found the fax on the town clerk's desk after he heard the news from a reporter.
Penetanguishene had been a willing host to the $85 million facility until the
Conservative government told the town it would be privately run.
"We feel we were misled then and now we feel we're being kept in the
dark," said Dion. (The Star)
Greater
Sudbury, Ontario
Jun 23, 2018 thesudburystar.com
Suspect shot by Sudbury police to plead out
The man shot by Greater Sudbury Police officers at the downtown bus
terminal in the spring will resolve his charges next month. In video bail
remand court at the Sudbury Courthouse, Alexander Stavropoulos, 24, of no
fixed address, made a brief appearance. His lawyer, Glenn Sandberg, informed
the court that Stavropoulos would resolve his matters on July 4. At that
time, Stavropoulos is headed to courtroom "C" -- a plea court that
is held every Wednesday. Stavropoulos, 24, who spent time in hospital, is
facing four counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, and five
counts each of assault with a weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Officers confronted a man inside the terminal during the evening hours on
April 1 after he tried to access the transit security office while armed with
two knives, according to the city. One officer fired shots, wounding he
suspect, who was taken to hospital. A transit employee was also hurt during
the disruption, but not severely. The city said at the time the injuries were
minor and the employee was in stable condition. The Sudbury Star has learned
the employee - Phil Kingsbury - and Andrian Santos,
a guard with G4S Secure Solutions, had sought refuge in a locked room in the
station during the incident. An errant bullet punctured a metal panel in the
wall and a piece of shrapnel ended up embedded in Kingsbury's leg. The
province's Special Investigations Unit is investigating the case. The SIU,
which investigates any instance where an individual is injured during a
police response, did confirm an officer discharged a firearm and the
24-year-old suspect was hospitalized. The Ministry of Labour
also investigated and issued one order to the employer to reassess the risks
of workplace violence. At the time of the incident, only one guard was
scheduled to work at the terminal. The city has added a second guard on an
interim basis for seven hours a day. A video shot by a witness captured the
moment when police fired on the man, who collapsed in pain, with blood
pooling on the floor. The voice heard in the video yelling off-screen was
that of the suspect, indicating he had been shot. Police described the man as
"aggressive" and said officers "applied force that resulted in
injuries." At one time, Stavropoulos was himself an employee of G4S, a
reliable source told The Sudbury Star. The source said Stavropoulos had
worked with the company in southern Ontario and arrived in Greater Sudbury
with a girlfriend to take on another assignment as a security officer.
Stavropoulos, however, quit about a month prior to the transit station
incident, after working a shift at the Out of the Cold shelter operated by
the city. The source said he didn't believe Stavropoulos was acting out of
any kind of work-related grudge when he appeared at the transit terminal on
April 1, but was wrestling with personal issues, possibly a break-up.
McGill University
Montreal, Canada
Sodexho
November 26, 2007 The McGill Daily
At Macdonald campus’s Centennial Centre cafeteria, students can purchase
a classic two-egg breakfast all day for just $4.20, taxes included. Though
the cafeteria is a relatively small operation, it is run by Sodexho Inc., a
massive multinational food services company that also operates private,
for-profit prisons and detention centres. Sodexho’s
presence at McGill is minimal compared to that of well-known food-service
giant Chartwells, but with revenues exceeding $17.6-billion in 2005-2006,
Sodexho is one of the largest food-provision companies in the world. Last
year, “Correctional Services” accounted for two per cent of its total
revenue. In an interview with Vancouver-based Stark Raven radio last month,
Alex Friedmann, Associate Editor of the magazine Prison Legal News, explained
that the nature of for-profit detention centres
facilitates poor-quality meals and services for inmates. “[Companies’ that
run private prisons] sole interest is to bolster their bottom line and to
make profit for their shareholders,” Friedmann said. “If you have to do that
by cutting corners, or by reducing benefits and wages paid to your staff…or
by skimping on food portions or quality, then that’s what you do.” Sodexho
has faced student boycotts since 2000, and recent reports reveal overcrowding
and hunger strikes at its Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre in London,
England. Friedmann said that professional corrections officials, like guards
and wardens, understand the importance of food in prisons and the consequences
it has on prison life, but that food-service companies like Sodexho – which
make huge profits from corrections facilities – are not interested in the
public good. “Their interest is not in the welfare or benefit of the public,
the prisoners, or even their employees, really,” he said. Incidentally, the
2006 Corporate Responsibility Report from Sodexho’s U.K. and Ireland faction
stated that just 54 per cent of its employees actually enjoy going to work.
Similar reports from the last two years are filled with idyllic pictures,
quotes from various executives championing Sodexho’s efforts toward
sustainability and a greater diversity of employees, including affirmative actions plans. In April of 2005, however, Sodexho paid
out an $80-million settlement after thousands of its African-American
employees sued the company on charges of racial discrimination, citing the
company’s utter lack of African Americans in high-ranking management
positions. Boycott Sodexho -- Two years ago, students at Laval University started
a “Boycott Sodexho” campaign in protest of the school’s decision to award a
large food contract to the company instead of accepting the student union’s
offer. Boycott Sodexho is still active, although according to member Fadi Maalouf, it now focuses on
encouraging students to frequent the 14 student-run coffee shops as opposed
to one of the eight larger Sodexho-run cafeterias. Maalouf
explained that students were against the multinational corporation for
reasons ranging from its high prices for mediocre food to its involvement in
the U.S. military. “When the campaign was on campus, we were just giving
information about Sodexho’s involvement in the [Iraq] warzone, and that was
frustrating for students to learn,” Maalouf said.
“They make millions of dollars and they cannot offer a good service to
students?” In 2000-2002, students from 60 campuses across the United States
and Canada formed the “Not With Our Money” campaign. They succeeded in
prompting Sodexho to divest its eight per cent stock holdings from Correctional
Corporations of America, which runs private prisons in the U.S. But Sodexho
still owns private for-profit prisons, primarily in the U.K. – recent
announcements on its web site boasts 20 and 25-year contracts to run prisons
in Chile and Scotland, respectively – and it provides food and ancillary
services for prisons around the world, including more than 450 in the United
States alone, according to Friedmann. Prison atmosphere -- Rebecca Godderis, a PhD student at the University of Calgary who
interviewed 16 prisoners as part of her research on food in prisons, echoed
Friedmann’s comment about the significance of food, which can calm or excite
inmates. She explained that food has a large impact on a prison’s atmosphere.
“Food is a constant reminder of the lack of control that these prisoners have
over their lives,” Godderis said, adding that one
participant told her simply, “If the guys are well-fed, they’re more
manageable.” Godderis did not comment about any
specific corporations who run private prisons, but she maintained that
because prisoners have very little recourse to take on mechanisms that
control them, the general public should be concerned about what goes on
inside the institutions. “[Prisoners] are very marginalized, very controlled,
and that means we should be more attentive to them,” Godderis
said. Representatives from Sodexho Inc. declined to comment for this piece.
Ministry
of Solicitor-General
Sep
29, 2021 newswire.ca
OPSEU/SEFPO
urges government to backtrack on 'dangerous' Corrections privatization scheme
TORONTO,
ON, Sept. 28, 2021 OPSEU/SEFPO is warning the
provincial government that it will be making a dangerous mistake if it goes
ahead with plans to privatize the Corrections service that monitors offenders
wearing electronic bracelets. "In Ontario and in the U.S., private
corporations have shown time and time again that they can't be trusted to put
community safety over profits," said OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren
(Smokey) Thomas. "Selling off the service that keeps track of offenders
when they're not in jail is just going to put our communities at risk.
"Public service workers have done this job admirably for decades,"
said Thomas. "There's simply no good reason to sell off this service, or
to sell out the front-line Corrections workers who provide it." Janet Laverty, the Vice Chair of
OPSEU/SEFPO Corrections, said Ontario has already run failed experiment on
private Corrections. "We've already been down the road of privatizing
correctional services in Ontario when a for-profit company operated a correctional
facility in Penetanguishene," said Laverty. "That experiment failed
miserably, and the jail was brought back into the public fold. So why does
the current government want to head down this reckless path again?"
Offender monitoring is currently done by Ministry of Solicitor-General
employees at the Ontario Monitoring Centre in Mississauga. But the ministry
has now announced plans to close the facility and privatize that work to a
company that will monitor offenders with GPS technology. As a result, offenders that would normally
serve weekend sentences will no longer serve jail time and the Intermittent Centres in Toronto and London will be closed.
"Privatization has a terrible track-record when it comes to saving
money. And it has an even worse record when it comes to providing services
that keep our communities safe," said OPSEU/SEFPO First
Vice-President/Treasurer Eduardo (Eddy) Almeida, who is himself a
Correctional Officer. "From Walkerton to the high pandemic death toll in
for-profit long-term care, there is plenty of evidence that private companies
can't be trusted to keep us safe. Ontarians must ask if they really want a
for-profit company monitoring offenders in the community." Thomas said
he's surprised at the government's privatization plan. "I know this
government appreciates the work done by front-line Corrections workers
because of the recent investments they've made in new jails and in new
positions," said Thomas. "Privatizing this service will undo a lot
of that good work. It's not too late for the Premier and the Solicitor
General to stop us from blundering into this costly privatization mistake
that will leave our communities at risk.
Ontario Government
March 1, 2005 OPSEU
In a stunning divisional court decision issued today, the Ontario government
must pay a total of $1.2 million in damages to 50 employees who were stripped
of their rights during the process of privatizing young offender facilities.
The court upheld an earlier decision by the Grievance Settlement Board that
each of the affected employees should be paid damages equal to two weeks
salary for each year of service. “This is a monumental decision for our
union,” said OPSEU President Leah Casselman. “This makes a mockery of
government claims that privatization saves money.” At the heart of the matter
was a provision in OPSEU’s collective agreement that guaranteed seniority
rights for employees who continued to work at facilities that were sold to
private operators. For employees of the Maurice H. Genest Detention Centre in
London, Syl Apps Youth Centre in Oakville and Project Dare in South River,
those seniority rights were stripped away. In fact, the government forced
employees to make career choices without the protections that had been
negotiated in good faith by their union. Casselman said this decision sends a
strong message that terms of a collective agreement cannot be breached
without penalty. “We are very pleased that the divisional court has
recognized the importance of contract provisions,” Casselman said. “Even more
importantly, the court has affirmed that an employee’s seniority has monetary
value. Every day, unions rely on seniority to ensure fairness in the
workplace. Now, employers will realize how much value we place on that.”
Operations Springboard
December 7, 2000
Another alleged breach of federal law, the Ontario Corrections Ministry has
been handing over confidential information on young offenders to an outside
agency, say corrections sources. Probation officers provided background on
youth criminals to non-profit Operations Springboard as part of a
controversial alternative sentencing program. The association says the
exchange was approved by ministry supervisors. The information release seems
to beach strict rules in the Young Offenders Act on shielding the privacy of
teenage offenders, says Nick Bala, a leading expert
on the act. "I don't think the legislation as now written contemplates
youth court records being shared with Operation Springboard," said Mr. Bala, a law professor a Queens University. "I'm
concerned about both the violation of the act and that the role of this
agency has not been properly worked out... We have an agency here that has a
somewhat anomalous and problematic role in the justice system. Springboard
assesses offenders, then submits pre-sentence reports to judges, often urging
the accused get a non-jail sentence, such as time as an open-custody home or
in some rehabilitation program. Police. prosecutors and probation officers
all have raised objections about the program. In pre-sentence reports,
Springboard recommends offenders receive the type of services in the outside
community that the organization itself offers. If there was any leak, it
certainly was not authorized by management. "That's B.S.," said a
member of the Probation Officers Association of Ontario, who alleged she was
instructed by her manager to cooperate with Springboard. Det.-Const. Al Dion,
a Toronto police officer assigned the city's youth court, said he repeatedly
told Springboard at meetings that it could receive offender information from
the ministry, or it might face possible charges. (Ottawa Citizen's Group)
Partnering and Procurement (PPI)
Ontario and Nova Scotia
February 10, 2003
Two U.S experts hired by Ontario and Nova Scotia to give supposedly
independent advice on controversial jail privatization plans were later
convicted of moonlighting for private prison firms and of other ethics
violations, the National Post has learned. Critics say the revelations raise
new questions about the basis for Canada 's tentative foray into for-profit
corrections. But company and government officials say the pair had a minimal
role here and deny there was even a hint of impropriety. Charles Thomas, a
retired University of Florida professor, and Mark Hodges, former head of the
state's private prisons commission, both had links to Management and Training
Corp. (MTC), the Utah-based business that eventually won the right to run
Ontario 's so-cal led super jail. MTC was also a
key part of the consortium chosen in 1996 by the Nova Scotia government to
build and operate a jail there, although that project was later abandoned.
The Florida Commission on Ethics took both men to task for a variety of
conflict of interest breaches and fined them thousands of dollars each.
"This angers me to think these two characters have links to our
provincial government and with MTC, the operator of the super jail,"
said Sharon Dion, a community activist who is opposed to the private
operation of the super jail in her hometown of Penetanguishene, Ont.
"How can we have an open and honest comparison of private versus public
if some researchers and consultants have their hands so deep into privateers'
pockets?" Partnering and Procurement (PPI) hired Mr. Hodges and Mr.
Thomas because they were two of North America 's leading experts on private
corrections, said Howard Grant, the Ottawa firm's president. Like the pair's
other public-sector clients and employers, PPI had no idea they also did work
for private companies, Mr. Grant said. "We were horrified when we first
got the call [about their Florida troubles]," he said. "They were
the experts and they were speaking everywhere.... Our assumption was that
they had no conflict issues." Mr. Thomas ran a respected research
project on prison privatization and did work for the commission that also
regulated Florida 's private jails. He and Mr. Hodges, who was executive
director of the private prisons commission, sold their expertise to several
states and provinces. At the same time, though, Mr. Thomas was receiving
millions of dollars from the corrections companies in consulting fees and
donations to his research project. The ethics commission fined him US$20,000.
It fined Mr. Hodges US$10,000. Among other transgressions, he was chastised
for the way he reported a trip he and his wife took to an MTC board meeting
in Hawaii in May, 1997. Just a month before that Hawaiian voyage, he and Mr.
Thomas had completed their contract with the Ontario government. In Hawaii , weeks later, Mr. Hodges would talk about
strategies MTC could follow in bidding on such contracts. Ken Kopczynski of
the Florida Police Benevolent Society, the union that uncovered the freelance
work, said jurisdictions that hired the men at that time cannot be blamed for
not knowing about their sideline work for the industry itself. But Mr. Kopcynski, whose union represents public sector guards
and fiercely opposes privatization, questioned the appropriateness of their
playing both sides of the fence in the industry. According to an
investigation report, Mr. Hodges told the ethics commission he attended the
week-long MTC meeting in Maui to educate the company about mistakes it had
made in bidding for Florida contracts. Mr. Hodges told the ethics watchdog he
believed larger companies were dominating the market and if he could help MTC
become more successful, that would drive down costs for the state. (National
Post)
Project Turnaround
November 30, 2003
Sharon Dion believes the provincial government is right in its decision to
close the privately-run young offender camp south of Midland. "The
government has made the right decision to take the profit-motive out of youth
facilities," said Dion, a Penetanguishene resident who is chairperson of
Citizens Against Private Prisons. The Liberals announced Wednesday that
Project Turnaround, a privately-run youth correctional facility in Hillsdale,
will be shut down when the contract expires next year. "Before, that
jail used to be self-sufficient, and the youth would take care of gardens and
animals. I don't know what the government will do with the building because I
don't know the shape it's in," she said. Premier Dalton McGuinty
said his decision is based on several practical reasons. "I
understand it has been less than half-full for quite some time now. It's
become an expensive proposition, and we're convinced that we can do the job
more effectively and efficiently through existing institutions," said
McGuinty. Project Turnaround opened in 1997 as a private facility for
boys who were 16 or 17 when they committed a crime, although they may have
been 18 by the time they actually entered the facility. The concept is
based on military-style living, and the youth wake up at 6 a.m. each day.
There are no TVs or Walkmans for the youth, who spend four hours a day in the
classroom. The rest of the time is spent in treatment programs,
physical education, or military drills. One report said two boys staged
a breakout the night the facility opened. They were captured after a
three-hour chase through the bush. The private company that runs the
facility is Encourage Youth Corporation, and its contract with the government
is worth approximately $2.5 million a year. McGuinty said this week there's
no reason to renew it. (The Mirror)
February 7, 2003
A mould problem is closing — at least temporarily — Ontario 's only privately
run boot camp for high-risk young offenders. Jamie Wallace told the Star that
until experts determine the extent of the mould problem, it won't be known
how long Project Turnaround, originally a camp for hydro workers, will remain
closed. Project Turnaround, which has been operating since 1997, was the
brainchild of former premier Mike Harris. He touted it as part of his
get-tough-on-crime agenda during the 1995 provincial election campaign. The
pilot project got off to an inauspicious start when two inmates escaped on
the morning the Conservative government had planned a high-profile opening
ceremony, earning it the nickname "Camp Run-amok." Sally Walker,
the owner and boss of Project Turnaround, gets $2.4 million a year to run the
facility that once served as a minimum-security jail for adult offenders.
(Toronto Star)
December 30, 2002
On the pillow is a Bible and on the floor, at the foot of the bed, is a
freshly shined pair of boots. It's all part of the drill at Project
Turnaround, the controversial, privately run jail that's home to 32 high-risk
young offenders. The camp boasts a better than average success rate for
taking in punks and turning out young men with skills to make their way in
the world, say the people who run it. Project Turnaround celebrated its fifth
anniversary this year and is not without its critics, but Public Security
Minister Bob Runciman is a big fan of what the Conservative government
labelled "strict discipline facilities" and is pushing for more
programs just like it elsewhere in the province's young offender system.
Sally Walker, who is the owner and boss of Project Turnaround, asks that
visitors not call her operation a boot camp, a term used by former premier
Mike Harris in the 1995 election campaign when he campaigned on the idea. The
pilot project got off to an inauspicious start when two inmates escaped on
the morning the Conservative government had planned a high-profile opening
ceremony. Runciman, then solicitor-general, was on his way out the door for
the event when word of the escapes reached Queen's Park, leading to cancelled
plans and red faces round. That incident, back in August 1997, earned the
detention centre the nickname Camp Runamok — but
Walker said there has not been an escape since or even an attempt. Walker,
who worked in the private prison system in Florida, gets $2.4 million a year
to run the rather dingy facility that once served as a minimum-security jail
for adults. It is now ringed with a six-metre-high
fence and is located about 20 kilometres north of
Barrie in a rolling rural area just outside the hamlet of Hillsdale. One of
the criticisms leveled at Project Turnaround is that it doesn't get the worst
of the young offenders, which Walker hotly denies. "It is generally felt
in the ministry it was set up so it couldn't fail," said a government
source. "If you want to see the really tough kids, you go to the other
facilities. It does not get these kids." Professor Anthony Doob, of the
Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto, said the minister's
conclusion that the privately run facility is a success "is wrong."
"The ministry's own evaluation shows that the boot camp `graduates' are
not significantly less likely to commit new offences than
are youths in standard institutions," Doob said in a
review. Doob told the Star "any social scientist would realize
that the evidence isn't there." (Toronto Star)
Ryerson University
February
14, 2013 thestar.com
Ryerson
University faculty are outraged with the school’s decision to pony up more
than $5.6 million to cover the losses of a food services company it employs —
and they’re determined to hold the administration accountable. Anver Saloojee, president of
the Ryerson Faculty Association, said members were upset to read in the Star
Wednesday that Ryerson has incurred losses for Aramark Canada Ltd., which
runs the cafeterias and catering operation. “Faculty are not happy with what
has been revealed,” the professor of politics and public administration said
Thursday. “We have every right to hold the administration to account for a
$5.6 million shortfall that they had to pay Aramark for the last five years.”
The association represents more than 800 members including faculty,
professional librarians and professional counselors. The executive will meet
Feb. 26, where it will discuss next steps. As the Star reported Thursday,
students are also unsatisfied. Among Saloojee’s
concerns are where the funds came from, why the university amended its
contract with Aramark in 2006 agreeing to take on the risk, and why an audit
wasn’t done looking into the quality and value of Aramark’s goods and
services. Particularly perplexing is that all departments were asked to
identify 3 per cent in potential cuts from their operating budgets — yet the
university found millions to give to a private company. “I have been hearing
over the last day or two from faculty who say simply, ‘We’re being asked to
cut and we’re paying Aramark . . . something doesn’t feel right and sound
right.’” Ryerson officials have said the university, with a small base of students resident on the campus and competition from
hundreds of downtown restaurants, does not expect to make money from
foodservice operations. Saloojee said he was
assured by the administration that the funds covering the losses didn’t come
from the university’s general operating budget, a response that “can be seen
as smoke and mirrors,” he said. The university is paying the losses from its
business services fund — money it earns, in part, off meal plan students who
buy food at the campus’s only two student-run eateries. “Wherever the money
comes from, it’s coming out of Ryerson’s overall pool of money,” Saloojee said, noting universities are chronically
underfunded. “I have a lot of problems with that . . . because that money
could be put to use somewhere else.”
Security Guards
September 25, 2010 The Windsor Star
Security guards in Windsor and across Ontario are worried about the future of
their jobs -- thanks to new provincial rules for security guards involving
costly training and a test to obtain their licences.
"We're only making minimum wage," said Michael Lock, 40, who works
as a security guard at a downtown Windsor bank. "I believe we do need
training ... I don't have no problem with that. But to throw this course at
somebody who's making $10 an hour? It's going to affect a lot of people.
You're going to see a lot of people jobless." The new basic training and
testing regulations for security guards came into effect on April 15.
According to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, the
move is meant to strengthen the professional requirements for security guards
and to enhance public safety. It's the most significant change in Ontario's
private security industry in more than 40 years. A security guard licence costs $80 annually. To qualify for a licence, candidates must now pass a test based on a
specific curriculum. They only have to pass the test once, but every attempt
at it costs $60. Those with existing licences can
choose to take the test without going through the 40-hour course. But if they
fail the test, they must complete the curriculum as if they were new licence applicants. The course is offered by private
career colleges and can cost upward of $400 to complete. Lock said he knows
of other security guards who've been in the business for years, but flunked
the test and can't afford to take the course. "These are not just single
people. These are people that have families," Lock said. "These are
guards that have been doing this for quite some time." Tara Brown,
another Windsor security guard, said she's also heard of many people failing
the test. She'll have to pass the test next summer, when her own licence is due for renewal. "I'm very
skittish," she admitted. "I'm lucky my husband has a good job,
because I could be out of a job by next June."
June 8, 2010
The Globe and Mail
The company awarded a government contract to provide private security for the
G8 and G20 summits is not licensed in Ontario. Contemporary Security Canada,
which also provided private security for the Vancouver Olympic Games, was
selected by the RCMP to provide approximately 1,100 private security guards
to screen pedestrians throughout the summits in Huntsville and Toronto. But
security guards and the companies they work for are required by provincial
law to be licensed, and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional
Services said Contemporary Security Canada is not currently approved. “No
they’re not,” said Laura Blondeau, spokeswoman for
Minister Rick Bartolucci. “We are scrambling to do that due diligence with
the aim of getting them licensed so they can proceed. So we’re kind of behind
the eight-ball on this.” Ms. Blondeau said the
ministry is working to do background checks on the company and the security
guards they have hired for the high-profile international event. But she said
they found out about the issue only after the company was hired. “My
understanding is that the RCMP has a long-standing relationship with this
company,” she said. “So they secured them and we found out about it after the
fact. It’s an inconvenience.” The company must pay a fee and go through a
rigorous process to become a licensed agency, and Ms. Blondeau
said they will be able to work at the summits only if they are approved. “If
they are an agency that is approved to do business in Ontario, then they can
proceed,” she said. A federal “letter of interest” posted in March announced
the federal government’s intention to secure a contractor to provide
airport-style security at various checkpoints. “The contractor will be
required to provide approximately 1,030 security screening personnel to
perform pedestrian screening in designated areas,” the letter read. The
tender doesn't say where the guards will be stationed, but said they would be
outfitted with “Magnetometers,” “walk-through metal detectors,” “X-Ray belt
driven scanners” and “hand-held metal detectors.” The letter of interest
stipulates that bidders invited to compete in the tender must “submit proof
that they can provide the security equipment and minimum required number of
security screening personnel that are licensed (Ontario Security Guard License).”
The cost of the summit has been estimated at close to $1-billion. The RCMP
has said about $321 million is being spent on venue security, intelligence
gathering and the expenses associated with bringing in police officers and
private security guards for the event.
December
9, 2004 The Star
Ontario’s nearly 30,000 private
security guards and investigators will soon be subject to stringent new
provincial standards and regulations to keep them on their side of the thin
blue line. The rules governing private guards haven’t been updated in Ontario
for nearly 40 years, Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter
said today as he announced plans for new legislation at a downtown Toronto
shopping mall. The proposed legislation, if passed, would require mandatory licensing
for all security personnel and implement standards for training, uniforms,
equipment and vehicles used by private security ``practitioners.” Those standards would prevent private
guards from wearing uniforms or driving vehicles that too closely resemble
those of police officers, Kwinter said. Thursday’s
announcement comes less than a year after pointed questions about standards
for guards were raised by the death of Patrick Shand, 31, who died after an
altercation with security guards at a Toronto supermarket. An inquest into the death of Shand, 31, who
was held face down by two Loblaws employees and handcuffed by a security
guard, made 22 recommendations on training, licensing and standards for
security practitioners.
York Detention Centre
Toronto, Canada
Casatta Group
October 14, 2009 The Whig Standard
A spokesman for the private company that operated the York Detention Centre
for youth says it's being shut down by the Ontario government, even though
it's daily rates are almost half that of larger provincially-run facilities.
Some of the youth are being moved to the newly-opened Roy McMurtry Youth
Centre (RMYC) in Brampton, a secure facility for young offenders which cost
$93 million to build, or just over $484,000 per bed. Don Adam, staff and program
manager with the Casatta Group, which operated the
York Detention Centre, said he's concerned that the larger facility will not
be able to provide the staff contact and security needed by the youth. There
are also concerns that families of the detained youth will have difficulty
getting to the RMYC in Brampton, or alternative facilities in Oakville and
Cobourg, he said. The Ministry of Children and Youth Services notified York
staff on Sept. 1 that it was closing the facility because the number of young
people requiring secure custody is dropping and the ministry needs to use
public funding efficiently.
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