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Nice try, Rob.

The Saturday, August 5 edition of the Toronto Star carried a lovely propaganda piece reporting that Corrections Minister Rob Sampson was going to implement a plan to charge "room and board" to inmates housed in provincial facilities. That, combined with the so-called inmate community work program is part of the Minister’s attempt to curry public favour and promote the Tories "getting tough on crime" agenda.

Which is fine, except that our esteemed leader also took an opportunity to get a few shots in at his employees at the same time. The Star quotes Sampson as saying says he would also like to get correctional officers to work harder.

Sampson stated that correctional officers average almost 20 days a year in sick time, and that some officers use sick leave to extend their holidays. Sampson said he found this "disgusting" and "totally unacceptable."

Well guess what, Rob. Ministry sources reveal that sick time for officers has spiked since you became Minister. Perhaps it’s due to some of the things that your employees find "disgusting" and "totally unacceptable." Here’s a little list for you:

1. Privatization of ANY part of the corrections system is a direct slap in the face of every professional man and woman who works in the system. Your arrogant attitude towards the people who are risking their lives every day to keep the province safe is "disgusting" and "totally unacceptable."
2. The premature closure of institutions has caused massive overcrowding in almost every jail across the province, especially in the GTA. The tension this has created has taxed every officers’ skills to the limit. Your intentional creation of dangerous conditions in the workplace is "disgusting" and "totally unacceptable."
3. Blaming employees for problems generally created by poor management, and refusing to correct management problems, even when they are clearly identified, is a smokescreen to sell off the system. Your method of dictating policies without staff input then saying the employees are at fault is "disgusting" and "totally unacceptable."

Perhaps the Minister would like to walk a mile in the shoes of a correctional officer so that he could be better informed. After all, we doubt that Rob Sampson has to worry too much about being stabbed, punched or spit on while sitting in his cozy office. Broken up any fights lately, Rob? Giving non-answers in the Legislature during Question Period doesn’t really qualify as stress.

Maybe Sampson would have a better understanding of the real world if he actually had any experience other than banking. So keep doing those "cream puff" media pieces, Rob. In the meantime, correctional officers will continue to keep the public safe and try to stay sane under the working conditions that you have created.

Correctional officer Carrie Delaurier thought the incident was over.

Last April, an inmate falsely accused the Monteith C.C. officer of sexual assault. The OPP investigated, and Delaurier was cleared. "A thorough investigation was completed. There was no basis for laying any charges whatsoever and the matter is considered closed," said OPP Sergeant Terry Blance.

Case closed, except that Delaurier learned in June that her name has been added to the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System, known as ViCLAS.

ViCLAS was set up in 1996 to improve police information-sharing in the wake of disastrous missteps in the Paul Bernardo case. Under the Ontario Police Services Act, it is mandatory for officers investigating serious crimes to submit their results to ViCLAS.

Carrie Delaurier has been caught in that net.

"My name is right up there with Paul Bernardo and everyone, and I'm actually a victim," says Delaurier, who has filed a grievance claiming her health and safety is in jeopardy as long as her name remains on the list.

Barry Scanlon, chair of the OPSEU Corrections Ministry Employee Relations Committee (MERC), is outraged that this could happen to an innocent person. "Our officers get falsely accused of stuff like this all the time," Barry said. "Who knows how many of them are now sitting in this data bank?"

Scanlon has written to the RCMP, who manage ViCLAS, and to Corrections Minister Rob Sampson in order to get this injustice solved.

"It is unbelievable that this government, the self-proclaimed guardians of victims’ rights, can allow this to happen to one of their own employees," Scanlon said. "Perhaps the Corrections Minister should take a little less time doing photo-ops with inmates painting over graffiti and show some interest in the welfare of his staff."

Anyone wishing to contact ViCLAS can do so at:

Violent Crime Analysis Branch,

Quinte Detention Centre will be hosting an anti-privatization demonstration and barbecue on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. To get to Quinte, exit Highway 401 and go south on Highway 41 (Napanee). Turn left at Richmond Blvd. and Quinte D.C. is right there. Members are asked to please come out in support.

And don’t forget the demonstration and barbecue on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 at Millbrook Correctional Centre.

Get out for a nice summer drive and attend these protests!

The Township of Ear Falls, northwest of Dryden is the latest addition to the list of public jail supporters. That brings the municipal resolution count to 85. Do we even have to ask who got this resolution?

Thanks to the Resolution Warrior, Len Mason.

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