FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 27, 2009


OPSEU to McGuinty: Stop destroying Corrections


OTTAWA – Corrections members from across Ontario will converge in Ottawa tomorrow at a Liberal fundraiser to protest recent actions and inactions by the McGuinty government that are destroying labour relations in Correctional Services.

DATE: May 28, 2009

TIME: 4:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Ontario Liberal Fundraiser
Crown Plaza
101 Lyon Street, Ottawa


OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas wants the Premier to immediately intercede to come up with a joint plan to deal with overcrowding, safety and issues affecting the health of the staff on the front lines. “Representatives in the Corrections Ministry appear to have little interest in addressing the concerns of the people who actually run Corrections on a day-to-day basis. We want to work co-operatively and come up with solutions to the current problems.”

OPSEU Corrections Division Chair Eddy Almeida says that the situation in Ontario corrections is reaching a breaking point with respect to conditions.

“For years, the Ministry has been packing more and more inmates into too little space, and expecting the staff to cope with the extra work it takes to deal with this,” Almeida said. “Further, they have been enacting policies aimed at making it harder for staff to get time away from this stressful environment. This has to stop, and the Premier must take the lead.”


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For further information:
Don Ford, OPSEU Communications 416-788-9104

MOL order Tuesday 19th May 2009

ALL Staff:

Please ensure you read the Ministry of Labor order posted. Due to the sensitive nature this and like documents will not be publicly available. If you are a Confirmed Executive Member of another local please submit a request. Upon confirmation a copy may be sent to you.

Detention centre outbreak affects 60 inmates and staff

Posted By KARENA WALTER Karena Walter

Posted 5 days ago

Visiting hours are suspended and in-person court appearances cancelled as officials deal with an outbreak of illness at Niagara Detention Centre that’s affected a quarter of its population.

More than 60 inmates and a handful of staff have complained of symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea from the illness, which has yet to be identified.

Dr. Doug Sider, Niagara’s associate medical officer of health, said it’s suspected to be the norovirus, which is highly infectious and can spread easily in close confines.

The public health department hopes to have confirmation today or Friday.

The norovirus has given Niagara a challenging season so far, Sider said, affecting people in nursing homes and day-care centres.

But it’s more difficult to control a virus in a detention centre where people are sharing cells and isolation may be hard to achieve.

Sider said key steps in other settings are emphasizing hand hygiene, doing scrupulous cleaning of common surfaces and disinfecting bathrooms and common areas.

“Most importantly, you need to be able to isolate ill people and try as much as possible to make sure they’re not in direct contact with people who don’t have the infection,” Sider said.

“I can imagine it’s somewhat challenging to do in an environment such as a detention centre.”

Stuart McGetrick, spokesman for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, said the illness spread through the institution. It seemed to subsiding by Wednesday, when only 10 people were complaining of symptoms.

The centre has no space for isolating large numbers of people, but has taken steps to stop the spread, he said.

They have stopped moving inmates between units and suspended visits. In-person court appearances have been replaced by video links.

“We’re just taking precautions to limit the spread of this bug, to let it run its course as quickly as possible,” McGetrick said.

The public health department was called on Monday to work with the detention centre on prevention and control measures.

On Saturday, the jail had a six-hour standoff sparked by prisoners demanding another inmate be taken to hospital for flu-like symptoms. Health-care staff at the facility examined the inmate and decided outside medical attention wasn’t needed.

Sider said symptoms of the norovirus — if that is what it is — can last 24 hours to several days. He said an outbreak can last from a few days up to two weeks.

The virus is not usually associated with complications. It’s treated with lots of fluids and careful diet.

The outbreak was affecting proceedings at the St. Catharines courthouse Wednesday. When lawyer Donald Wolfe asked in morning video court that his client be brought in person to the courthouse for a bail hearing, he was told it wasn’t going to happen.

“Apparently, no prisoners are allowed to leave the detention centre at this moment,” justice of the peace Robert Leggate told him.

Another lawyer, Geoffrey Hadfield, assured his client by video that delays in his case were out of his hands.

“The place is shut down for three days because of illness, not because of me.”

Article ID# 1506125

Public not at risk during jail riot: NRP

Lockdown quelled outburst


The public was never in any danger when inmates at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold rioted on the weekend, forcing a lockdown of part of the jail, Niagara Regional Police said.
Police said an undisclosed number of inmates housed in the jail, which the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said has a capacity of 260 inmates, created a disturbance in the ground floor day room range area starting at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday. Corrections staff responded by locking down the area, containing the disturbance.
NRP officers responded as a precautionary measure and remained outside of the jail. A CTV news video showed heavily armed police officers, some wearing army-type helmets and bullet-proof vests, setting up a perimeter at the jail.
A negotiator was called in by the detention centre. While negotiations dragged on, though, some inmates began to make weapons from items in the area, police said.
Nearly five hours after the standoff began, corrections officers re-entered the area and broke up the impasse. Although there were no injuries reported, police said the inmates caused about $2,000 in damages.
"The Niagara Regional Police and Niagara Detention Centre would like to assure the public that this incident posed no danger to the general public at anytime," police said in a news release.
An investigation into the disturbance is continuing by NRP detectives.

Niagara this week

Five hour standoff at Thorold Detention Centre


Posted By DON FRASER

Updated 45 mins ago

A standoff between guards and 17 inmates lasted almost five hours at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold.
Niagara Regional Police say the situation started at 11:20 a.m. Saturday in the ground floor day room range area.
Corrections staff kept the disturbance to this area. The NRP responded as a precautionary measure and acted as support outside the facility.
A corrections negotiator was used to deal with the situation. The inmates demanded some concessions during negotiations, but police did not reveal any details.
Some inmates also began to make weapons from materials available at the scene.
At 4:10 p.m., corrections staff entered the area and secured the involved inmates without incident.
Police say no corrections staff or inmates were injured during this disturbance. About $2000 in damages was caused to the facility by inmates.
Police and the detention centre say the public was never at risk.
The NRP continues to investigate

-with files from the Canadian Press

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1500830


ctvtoronto.ca

A riot involving 17 inmates has ended at Niagara Detention Centre late Saturday afternoon.
Police offered few details on the riot, but they did confirm that the inmates were wearing masks and did have control of a portion of the facility.
There is no word on what sparked the riot, nor if any injuries occurred.
According to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services website, the facility has a capacity of 260 inmates.

With files from CTV Toronto