Corrections officers picket legislature over Dauphin jail closure

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This article was published 18/02/2020 (1774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba corrections officers took their frustration over the province’s plan to close the Dauphin jail to the legislature this morning. 

Officers representing correctional facilities across Manitoba picketed outside the Legislative Building during morning rush hour, calling on the government to build a new jail and healing centre in Dauphin.

The informational picket was organized by the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union. 

The Progressive Conservative government plans to close the Dauphin Correctional Centre at the end of May. The facility, built in 1917, currently has a capacity of 61 inmates and provides employment for roughly 80 people in the Parkland region, including corrections officers, nurses, administrative staff and contractors. 

“Everyone is concerned and they are very, very worried about what’s going to happen to their community,” MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said.

“This is a huge hit. Eighty jobs in the Dauphin area is like 8,000 jobs in the city of Winnipeg. We need to do that comparison. This government has a responsibility to every Manitoban and it’s time they started to answer for what they’re doing.”  

About 50 people joined the picket and marched in the cold on Broadway and at the northwest and southwest corners of the Legislative Building grounds in opposition to the province’s plan. A union spokesperson said picketers included employees from corrections facilities within Winnipeg and as far north as The Pas, but were not able to provide media interviews.

Employees will be transferred to other facilities or will have to find work elsewhere. Gawronsky said the union is pressing the government for clarity on pending employment transfers.

“We are trying to get some information, trying to get some facts and urging this government very strongly: reverse this decision,” she said.

The provincial government has said inmates from the minimum-security jail will be moved to other facilities within the corrections system, which currently has beds for 2,555 individuals. The rated capacity at existing long-term facilities is 1,985, a Manitoba Justice webpage says.

The MGEU, however, contends facilities near Dauphin are already at, or close to, capacity. The union is calling for the province to keep the jail open until a new facility and healing centre is built.

The previous NDP government committed to building a new facility and local governments subsequently donated and serviced land to be used for that purpose. 

“That healing centre was majorly important for Manitobans. It needs to be built,” Gawronsky said. “It’s just common sense. You’ve got the area there, money’s been put into it already, so the infrastructure can easily be built.” 

The City of Dauphin has also recorded its opposition to the closure. Mayor Allen Dowhan previously told the Free Press the upcoming closure has angered people across the region and there are fears residents and service professionals will leave the community when corrections staff are relocated.

Dauphin city council has since passed a resolution requesting the province to delay closing the facility until the end of June to allow families to finish the school year. The council has asked the province to be included in a consultation process for any future development of a rehabilitation facility in the area.

The province’s Legal Aid Lawyers’ Association has also warned the closure would impact criminal lawyers working in the region, as well as inmates and family members.

In a written statement, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said the province’s primary focus is to support staff and their families during the transition period and to continue to offer employment within the “Manitoba government.”

“We are committed to working with the employees’ union to address individual staff needs well prior to the closure, with flexibility into June, and this includes working to ease the transition for employees with children in school,” he said in the statement. 

Meanwhile, the province has ordered $11 million in renovations and expansions to the courthouse located next to Dauphin’s jail. The renovations include enhanced security, more holding cells, improving interior and exterior accessibility and adding new administrative and office spaces for court staff, sheriff services and the judiciary.

“We are also committed to work with local leaders to address their concerns and we will be further engaging with the community on the final design for the courthouse renovations as well as other economic development opportunities in the Parkland region,” Cullen said in the statement.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca