News Releases    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2003

Waste, mismanagement and danger

Toronto – OPSEU President Leah Casselman has called on the government to end a long ordeal of mismanagement, waste of public money and creating public danger by Kennedy House Youth Services, an agency serving young offenders.

At a news conference Tuesday, Casselman said the agency’s Uxbridge site has been operating for nearly two years without any clients. The closure started with an 11-month lockout of 130 Local 361 members, but after a settlement was reached, Kennedy House opted to pay the staff not to work.

“While the facility stands empty, Kennedy House received an 18 per cent increase in funding. The province needs the secure custody spaces for young offenders. None of this make any sense,” Casselman said.

An operational review of the agency, received by Peter Kormos, MPP, under Freedom of Information, describes problems with governance, accounting, management of staff, financial administration, technology, and service.

“This operational review describes an agency which should NOT be getting government funding and which should NOT be entrusted with providing important services to young people who are often very troubled.

She called on the government to take the work away from Kennedy House. “If the government won’t take the work back into the public service, at least get a competent operator in place.”

We are paying to have well qualified people do nothing, while the need for their services is growing. Let’s pay them to do what they are trained for. Re-open the facility in Uxbridge and provide appropriate care and treatment for young offenders. Let’s get some value for the dollars we are spending on salaries, and let our members have the pride of doing their jobs well.

With those two moves, the danger to the public would be greatly reduced, and all of us – taxpayers – would get the services we are paying for.

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For further information:

Katie FitzRandolph: 416-448-7440 or cell 416-788-9057 or kfitzrandolph@opseu.org
David Cox: 416-443-8888 (ext 314) or cell 416-788-9197 or dcox@opseu.org