FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 26, 2002

Corrections minister floundering in wake of strike, miscues

The Ontario corrections minister is floundering in “damage control” mode as the province’s strike-ridden public jails are at the breaking point, and after an inmate was mistakenly released from the non-union privatized superjail.

Corrections Minister Rob Sampson today threatened to fire striking OPSEU members and bring in replacement workers to run the jails. The ministry has also issued a call for government employees from other ministries, who belong to a management association, to volunteer to guard inmates in the place of OPSEU members.

OPSEU President Leah Casselman responded that Sampson’s threats are a smokescreen designed to hide the unsafe conditions inside the jails.

“They don’t want our people –or the public – to know what is really going on inside the jails rights now,” Casselman said. “If they have as much success as they have running their private jail, the public is in for a scary time.”

In a bizarre twist, the ministry today applied to the to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to eliminate all essential services at the giant Metro West Detention Centre in Toronto. This morning, an entire shift of OPSEU correctional staff showed up for work at the jail but were locked out and told they were suspended without pay. This despite the fact that essential services were provided by OPSEU members on the previous two shifts without incident.

A province-wide warrant has been issued for a man serving an assault sentence who was mistakenly released from the privatized Penetanguishene superjail last Wednesday. The ministry did not publicly admit the mistake until yesterday.

-30-

For further information:

Katie FitzRandolph: 416/443-8888 ext.440
Randy Robinson: 416/443-8888 ext.441
David Cox: 416/443-8888 ext. 314