Latest news with #CorrectionalServiceCanada
CBC
14 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Still no charges in Robert Pickton prison death a year after fatal assault
New B.C. serial killer died after an attack by another inmate in the Port-Cartier maximum security prison Image | Caption: Police found the remains or DNA of 33 women on Robert Pickton's Port Coquitlam, B.C., farm. A year after his death following a prison assault, prison justice advocates are asking for an inquiry into his death. (CBC) A year to the day after serial killer Robert Pickton died following an assault by another inmate in a Quebec prison, there have been no charges against the alleged assailant and few answers about what happened. Pickton died in hospital on May 31, 2024, after being assaulted at the Port-Cartier maximum security prison 12 days prior. The 74-year-old was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder but was suspected of killing dozens more women at his pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C. The Correctional Service of Canada first issued a release on May 20 last year about a "major assault" on an inmate, adding "the assailant has been identified and the appropriate actions have been taken." The agency later confirmed the injured inmate was Pickton, and that he had died. Quebec provincial police identified the suspect as a 51-year-old inmate, but did not release a name. WATCH | Pickton dies after fatal prison assault: Media | Serial killer Robert Pickton is dead Caption: Robert Pickton had been in hospital since May 19 after being the target of what Correctional Service Canada called a "major assault" at the maximum-security Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec. The 74-year-old B.C. man had been found guilty of murdering six women in the Vancouver area, but had bragged about killing 49. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Earlier this week, the force said its investigation remained open. "Some expert reports are still ongoing. As this is an active file, we will not comment further," the Sûreté du Québec wrote in an email. By phone, a spokesperson said the police file had not yet been handed over to the Quebec Crown prosecutor's office, who will decide whether charges will be laid. Image | Robert Pickton court sketch Caption: This is a artist's drawing of Robert Pickton appearing on a video link to B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on May 25, 2005. Pickton was suspected of killing dozens of Indigenous women at his pig farm. (Jane Wolsack/The Canadian Press) Open Image in New Tab Spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau added police sometimes take more time to investigate when a suspect is already behind bars because there is no risk to the public. Correctional Service Canada said it expects to publish the results of investigations into the death "in the near future," spokesperson Kevin Antonucci wrote in an email. "Time was required to ensure that they were fully translated and vetted in accordance with the Privacy Act." Calls for public inquiry Advocates for prisoners' rights expressed concern about the lack of answers about what happened and said the death raises questions about inmate security. "We're concerned about a number of deaths have occurred at the hands of other prisoners without any clear answers," Catherine Latimer of the John Howard Society said in a phone interview. Latimer cited a fatality report published earlier this year by Alberta Justice Donna Groves into the death of a 21-year-old inmate who was knifed to death inside his cell by another inmate at the Edmonton Institution in 2011. The report raised a number of questions, including why the two inmates were allowed out of their cells at the same time despite belonging to rival gangs and being under orders not to be around other inmates. Groves called for a public inquiry into the death, saying it's the only way to get to the bottom of three guards' actions that day, including concerns they were running a prison "fight club." Latimer said the report shows there is a serious problem with "incompatible or vulnerable prisoners" being exposed to others who want to kill them. "Pickton really raises that," she said. Pickton, she added, would likely have been considered "vulnerable" because the nature of his offences would have made him a potential target. Prison deaths tough to investigate Howard Sapers, who spent 12 years as Correctional Investigator of Canada, said sudden prison deaths – particularly criminal ones – are often long and tough to investigate. "There are difficulties in terms of accessing crime scenes, preserving crime scenes, obtaining witness statements, so all of those things tend to frustrate investigations," he said. He added such investigations are often not a priority – at least in terms of speed – due to a lack of generalized public safety risk. He said federal investigators probing Pickton's death will be looking at whether protocol and policy was followed in areas such as contraband and weapons, underground trade in weapons and drugs, gang conflicts and known threats against an individual. Tom Engel, the former president of the Canadian Prison Law Association, agreed that Pickton's reputation would have meant he was at high risk of being assaulted by other inmates. "The question has to be asked, 'Well, how could this happen when he's at high risk?'" he said in a phone interview. LISTEN | Questions over prison safety: Media | Breakaway : Is Canada's federal prison system safe for all inmates? Caption: The assault on serial killer Robert Pickton at the Port Cartier prison is raising questions about the safety of inmates within federal prisons. Alison speaks with Senator Kim Pate, who says she is very concerned about the lack of respect for human rights towards those who are sentences in our country. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Engel said he wasn't surprised by the lack of charges so far. He said investigations can be lengthy, in part because correctional staff and inmates can be reluctant to fully co-operate with police. The announcement of Pickton's death last year was met with public expressions of satisfaction and joy rather than concern. Families of victims used words such as "healing," "overjoyed" and "justice" to describe the death of a man who preyed upon vulnerable women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, many of them Indigenous. But Engel believes the fate of prison inmates should be a concern. "Members of the public who believe in human rights, who believe in the rule of law, who believe that the Criminal Code of Canada applies to everybody should care about this, because you can't have this kind of lawlessness going on in a prison," he said. Sapers noted prisons can be dangerous for both inmates and correctional staff. And he said many of the solutions, which include more investment in staffing, training, prison infrastructure and programming to meaningfully occupy prisoners, benefit both groups. "Often people don't make the link to safe environments for people who are in custody are also safe environments for people who have to work there, and I think it's a really important point to make," he said.
CTV News
6 days ago
- CTV News
Contraband worth $410K seized at Springhill, N.S., institution
A row of isolation cells is pictured at the Springhill Institution, a Canadian federal corrections facility located in the town of Springhill, N.S. (Courtesy: Office of the Correctional Investigator) Contraband and unauthorized items worth an estimated $410,000 were seized at the Springhill Institution, a medium security federal institution in Nova Scotia, on May 17. The items seized included: Methamphetamine Hashish Shatter (a type of cannabis concentrate) Electronics Accessories The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) uses ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates and visitors, a release from CSC said. CSC along with police are investigating into how the contraband items were introduced to the correctional institution. They have also set up a tip line for all federal institutions to receive additional information about activities relating to drug use or trafficking that may threaten the security of visitors, inmates and staff members at CSC institutions. The toll-free number, 1-866-780-3784, ensures callers remain anonymous. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Canada Standard
24-05-2025
- Canada Standard
Change of Command Ceremony at Warkworth Institution
May 23, 2025 - Campbellford, Ontario - Correctional Service Canada On May 23, 2025, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) held a Change of Command Ceremony at Warkworth Institution, in the Ontario and Nunavut Region. This occasion marked the change in command from the outgoing Warden Dave Dunk to the incoming Warden Henry Saulnier. The ceremony reinforces the responsibility of leadership in the role of Warden. It represents the symbolic passing of responsibility, authority, and accountability from one correctional leader to another. This ceremony is an important tradition for CSC. It reaffirms the incoming leader's pledge to support CSC's mission and contribute to the safety and security of the public, employees, and offenders. CSC is proud of the dedicated staff members in the Ontario Region who work tirelessly every day to make a difference in the lives of offenders. Their professionalism and commitment contribute to public safety for Canadians.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Unlike in 2002, Alberta won't rely on federal prisons to free up space in Calgary jails for G7
Federal prisons won't be used to house inmates displaced by the G7 summit in Alberta in June. The province says it doesn't plan to manage its prison populations the same way it did the last time world leaders met in Kananaskis, Alta. In 2002, the Calgary Correctional Centre was cleared out in the weeks leading up to the G8 summit, so that it could serve as a holding centre for detained protesters. Inmates were sent to the medium-security federal prison in Drumheller, which had recently been rebuilt after a riot. Dave Bronconnier, then-mayor of Calgary, warned protesters about repeating the violent confrontations in Italy the year prior, cautioning that they could spend the summit at the Spyhill jail. The street protests in Calgary ended up being largely peaceful. This time around, Correctional Service Canada says it hasn't been contacted by any external agencies to make arrangements to house people arrested during the upcoming summit. "There are no discussions or plans underway for Correctional Service Canada to accommodate current inmates of Calgary Correctional Centre or people arrested during the G7 Summit in CSC facilities," the federal agency said in a statement to CBC News. Alberta's correctional facilities will continue to operate business as usual, and there are no plans to create additional capacity or empty Calgary facilities. A spokesperson with Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said the province would "implement appropriate operational responses should services be disrupted due to public demonstrations." She added the ministry, including the Alberta Sheriffs, is working closely with federal and municipal law enforcement agencies to support safety and security planning. "Inmate population management is part of daily and strategic planning for Alberta Correctional Services, and operations across all provincial correctional facilities will continue uninterrupted for the duration of the G7," director of communications Sheena Campbell wrote in an emailed statement. "For security reasons, we are unable to provide further details about operations and planning." Virtual bail courts, same arrest processing facility The province said individuals arrested during G7 protests in Calgary would be taken to the Calgary Police Service's arrest processing facilities at Spyhill, as is standard procedure. Court appearances would be held virtually through Alberta's provincial hearing office, either by video or phone, and additional bail courtrooms will be added "as required" to address G7 arrests. Doug King, a criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, noted that the last time the G8 was held in Kananaskis, it was in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. "I think a lot of what happened in 2002 was in response to that. And it may have been warranted, or it may have been just overprotection that was taking place. We don't see that now," he said. Today, there may be less concern about large-scale demonstrations, particularly because the summit is being held in a remote location, King said. "They better be cautious, though, because remember the G20 in Toronto … there were huge protests," King said, adding that the Calgary Remand Centre is "absolutely packed" right now. He added that police are now utilizing more sophisticated security and intelligence gathering techniques compared to 2002. "There must have been a calculation … that they just didn't need to empty out prison facilities to hold protesters. They must have made that calculation. It wouldn't have been an oversight," King said. Leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, will attend this year's summit, which is scheduled from June 15 to 17.
Canada Standard
13-05-2025
- Canada Standard
Change of Command Ceremony at Port-Cartier Institution in the Quebec Region
Canada News Centre 10 May 2025, 01:14 GMT+10 May 9, 2025 - Port-Cartier, Quebec - Correctional Service Canada On May 7, 2025, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) held a Change of Command Ceremony at Port-Cartier Institution, in the Quebec Region. This occasion marked the change in command from the outgoing Warden Pascale-Andree Thibodeau, to the incoming Warden Martin Foucher. The ceremony reinforces the responsibility of leadership in the role of Warden. It represents the symbolic passing of responsibility, authority, and accountability from one correctional leader to another. This ceremony is an important tradition for CSC. It reaffirms the incoming leader's pledge to support CSC's mission and contribute to the safety and security of the public, employees, and offenders. CSC is proud of the dedicated staff members at Port-Cartier Institution who work tirelessly every day to make a difference in the lives of offenders. Their professionalism and commitment contributes to public safety for Canadians.
