TORONTO
– The Ontario Public
Service Employees Union
has posted a $50,000
reward for information
leading to the
identification and
conviction of the person
or persons responsible
for sending racist hate
mail to correctional
officers at the
Toronto-area
correctional facilities.
In a
meeting last week, the
OPSEU Executive Board
approved the reward to
encourage anyone with
information to come
forward.
“So far,
investigators from the
Ministry of Community
Safety and Correctional
Services and the Toronto
Police have been stymied
trying to find those
responsible for sending
these vile letters to
black correctional
officers,” said OPSEU
President Warren
(Smokey) Thomas. “Our
union has absolutely no
tolerance for this type
of behaviour, and we are
offering this reward in
the hope that someone
will come forward with a
valid lead.”
For
three years, black
correctional officers,
primarily at the Toronto
(Don) Jail and Mimico
Correctional Centre,
have been sporadically
receiving letters,
filled with racist
comments and threatening
harm if they don’t leave
the facilities.
Dan
Sidsworth, Chair of
OPSEU’s Corrections
Division, echoes Thomas’
hopes and emphasizes
that correctional
officers have had enough
of this harassment.
“These letters have
negatively affected
everyone in the
facilities, and it must
stop,” Sidsworth said.
“We want whoever is
responsible to be
identified and then
dealt with by the
criminal justice system.
There is no room for
racism in any of our
correctional facilities.
We won’t abide by it or
ignore it. We have only
one position on racism
and harassment: Not on
our watch.”
Gord
Longhi, OPSEU co-chair
of the Systemic
Anti-Racism
Organizational Change
Committee, also hopes
the reward will produce
results. “Our members
are frustrated and fed
up. Anything our union
can do to end this
horrible situation will
be appreciated.”
