The leader of the Progressive Conservatives calls installing body scanners in Ontario jails a "no-brainer."
Patrick Brown, along with MPPs Jeff Yurek and Monte McNaughton, joined OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas, for a tour of the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) Thursday.
Brown says the $250,000 price tag of the scanner is nothing when it comes to safety.
"The fact that in some facilities there are ceramic knives being snuck in threatens the safety of the correctional officers and the entire facility," says Brown. "They (EMDC) had an inmate sneak in 17 Kinder eggs filled with contraband in body cavities. The Province of Ontario must do better. We must provide the resources to the correctional facilities to do their jobs."
Brown says the province must take action to protect corrections officers.
"These are some of the most adverse, difficult conditions," says Brown. "Even the nurses that work here are making $8 or $9 less than nurses who work in a hospital. It's one of the reasons they're struggling to recruit nurses to work in these facilities. I really believe in my heart of hearts that we have to do better by these facilities."
Brown's comments seem to have won over Thomas, who continuously fights for improved working conditions for corrections officers.
"I'm with Patrick. They've got to put the money and the resources into these jails," says Thomas. "They are going to spend all of this infrastructure into roads, subways, bridges and that's all good. How about spending a little bit of that infrastructure money on a place like this or jails in general."
Deputy Premier Deb Matthews toured the EMDC at the start of the month. Thomas says after the tour she promised to have a sit down with the union.
"That hasn't happened yet. We've followed up with email, phone calls," says Thomas. "So Minister Matthews, we would like you to have that meeting you said you would have."
Brown will be touring more detention centre's across the province with Thomas in the coming days. He says he won't back down from his challenge to Premier Kathleen Wynne to see the facilities first hand and will continue to raise the issue at Queen's Park.
"I'm going to continue to hold the government's feet to the fire on this because I believe there is a crisis in corrections and the government has to address it," says Brown.
