Correctional peace officers to picket Edmonton Remand Centre to protest cuts

Posted March 19, 2010 in Government Services and tagged with calgary, edmonton, local 003

EDMONTON – Correction Peace Officers from Local 003 of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees will take part in an information picket from 3 to 5 p.m. today beside the Edmonton Remand Centre to protest cutbacks that will compromise safety at provincial correctional facilities.

“The Edmonton Remand Centre and Calgary Remand Centre are each losing five or six Correctional Peace Officers on the night shift as of April 1. These are high-security institutions and these cuts are going to put staff and inmates alike at serious risk of injury and assault,” said AUPE President Guy Smith.

The cuts will also put great pressure on city resources as city police will no longer be able to admit offenders to the remand centre after 11 p.m..

“I can’t speak for the police services in Calgary or Edmonton, but I doubt they’re equipped to house the numbers of offenders that come in overnight. That’s the job the remand centres are supposed to be doing,” said AUPE Local 003 Chair Cec Cardinal, who also works as a Correctional Peace Officer in Calgary.

The Edmonton Young Offenders Centre and Calgary Young Offenders Centre are also facing cutbacks that will reduce security, as senior Correctional Peace Officer positions are being eliminated.

“Staff safety in EYOC and CYOC is another huge concern. It’s the No. 1 priority in these secure centres. The government has abolished the majority of Correctional Peace Officer Supervisors positions, which are instrumental to the security of these centres,” said Cardinal.

Smith and Cardinal will be taking part in the information picket this afternoon and be available for media interviews.

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For more information contact:
Guy Smith, President, AUPE – 780-930-3301 or 780-265-2294 (cellular)
Cec Cardinal, Chair, AUPE Local 003 – 403-462-1717 (cellular)
David Climenhaga, Communications Director, AUPE – 780-930-3311 or 780-717-2943 (cellular)

Photo: AUPE Local 003 Chair Cec Cardinal speaks with Global Edmonton news reporter Fletcher Kent on Mar. 19 about the effects of cutbacks at remand centres in Edmonton and Calgary.