FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 5, 2001
Privatization of superjail
“a dark day for Ontario” - OPSEU
TORONTO - A government decision to award a U.S
company the contract to run the Penetanguishene superjail is a dark day
for the province of Ontario, says Leah Casselman, president of the Ontario
Public Service Employees Union. The Ministry of Correctional Services
announced today that Utah-based Management and Training Corporation has
been selected to operate the 1,200-bed maximum security facility located
two hours north of Toronto.
Casselman said that this decision proves that the
Harris government will stop at nothing to fulfil their goal of selling off
the province to foreign interests.
“There is absolutely no justification to privatize
this facility,” said Casselman. “Penetanguishene doesn’t want a
private jail and the people of Ontario don’t want private jails. We have
facilities that are operating cheaper than what the U.S. bid came in at,
and we have proven track record of running institutions safely. This is
just an admission by Corrections Minister Rob Sampson that he is too
incompetent to run his own ministry.”
The U.S. company selected by the Ministry operates
13 correctional facilities, seven of which are located in the state of
Texas. Most of its institutions are minimum and medium security, and the
company has been operating correctional facilities for only 10 years.
Barry Scanlon, provincial representative for Ontario’s
6,000 correctional workers, said that this is a slap in the face to all of
the men and women working in the correctional system.
“To tell our members that they aren’t good
enough now to operate what is recognized as one of the best correctional
systems in the world is insulting and degrading,” Scanlon said. “Our
institutions have won international awards for inmate programming, and we
have programs that are proven to lower recidivism. This government move
has nothing to do with saving money or lowering re-offending rates. The
Tories are just taking money that they paid to Canadians as working wages
and giving it to Americans for profits. It’s an absolute disgrace.”
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For more information:
Barry Scanlon (416) 562-7252
Don Ford, OPSEU Communications (416) 723-8430
