OPSEU plans to fight jail closing plans; may rally during Toronto convention
Posted March 31, 2011 10:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OWEN SOUND, Ont. – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union plans to fight a move by the province to close the jails in Owen Sound and Walkerton.
There is already a Facebook group with hundreds of members opposing the plan.
Union spokesman Paul Johnstone says there are about 50 workers at the two jails, and it would mean a loss of about $3 million in wages to each centre.
In the Ontario budget, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan called for the closure of “under-utilized” prisons at Owen Sound, Walkerton and Sarnia.
Johnstone says when he started working at the Owen Sound jail 20 years ago they had 25 inmates and now, they often have 45 to 50 people at a time especially on weekend.
Johnstone says many times, the inmates have to sleep on the floor because there are not enough beds.
OPSEU is holding it’s annual meeting next week in Toronto, just down the street from the Ontario legislature.
Johnstone predicts a big rally sometime during the convention, although it hasn’t been organized just yet.
