In Ottawa, one of the legal advocates for the Elizabeth Fry Society tells me that the Human Rights Commission refused to speak with Black gay women in prison. E. Fry filed a complaint that argues that Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) discriminates on the grounds of sex, race, ethnicity, and mental disability in its programming […]
Three months after jail protest, conditions are “worse than ever,” say Burnside prisoners
"Nobody will help us...In some ways the silence is worse than the violence."
Prisoners in the Burnside jail say that conditions are “worse than ever” since the peaceful protest that ended September 9. They are calling for independent oversight of the provincial prisons and an external review of conditions, legal aid funding for adequate representation for habeas applications, and intervention by the Human Rights Commission. They describe a […]
Corrections officials came to Province House for questioning; here’s how they answered
On Wednesday morning, I attended the Public Accounts committee meeting at Province House. Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Hudson, Chris Collett Executive Director of Correctional Services, and provincial Director of Correctional Services Sean Kelly were answering questions about the Auditor General report from May, 2018. Among other concerns, the report revealed jails were not following the rules […]
Court Watch: the lies we tell ourselves
In Court Christopher Garnier appears for bail revocation hearing On Tuesday, Justice Peter Rosinski began a two-day bail revocation hearing for Christopher Calvin Garnier, 29. Garnier is charged with the second degree murder of Truro police officer Catherine Campbell and with interfering with her remains. In December he was granted bail, but he was taken...