NDP: Ford ignores thousands of warning signs as jail system crumbles

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Solicitor General Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) and Shadow Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) point the blame squarely at the Ford government for the alarmingly frequent lockdowns caused by staffing shortages in Ontario’s jails:

“Last year alone, there were over 2,000 lockdowns in just one correctional facility,” said Stevens. “This is an incredibly dangerous situation for both correctional workers and inmates. When facilities are operating at 130 per cent capacity, it puts everyone at risk. Doug Ford and Solicitor General Kerzner have created an environment of chaos in our province’s correctional system.

“Lockdowns are not a strategy, they are a symptom of this government’s failure. For years, we’ve watched this problem take hold while the Conservatives have done nothing. Frontline staff are being stretched beyond their limits. The Ford government needs to start taking this issue seriously, and act now, not some time down the road.

“Everyone in Ontario should know that they are less safe because of Doug Ford’s underfunding,” said Wong-Tam. “Frequent lockdowns in increasingly unsafe jails. Serious charges — including murder — being thrown out because of conditions in correctional facilities. Inmates die in custody. The Premier’s chronic underfunding of this system has left us here.

“We know what the solutions are to these problems. Hire more staff; make investments in our courts system to provide timely access to justice and ease overcrowding; and create a safe environment for both workers and inmates. It’s time for the Premier to take some accountability and pull this crumbling system back from the brink.”