Jails top Ontario’s ombudsman complaint list (CHCH)

June 26, 2024
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According to Ontario ombudsman Paul Dubé’s latest annual report released on Wednesday, correctional facilities are the province’s top source of complaints and inquiries.

The report reveals record or near-record complaints about the rights of vulnerable children and people with disabilities but it also puts the spotlight on prisons.

“The number one complaint in correctional facilities is health care. People not getting the appropriate health care, not getting dental treatment,” Dubé said.

Investigators from Ontario’s ombudsman’s office visited three correctional facilities in Hamilton and Milton in March and April. What they found, was a cause for concern.

At the Vanier Centre for Women, inmates complained about the following:

• Severe overcrowding

• Being stuck in cells with no time outside

• No access to services including showers (due to construction projects)

Sandy Shaw NDP MPP Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas said, “We are struggling with an opioid and drug addiction and mental health crisis. Many of the people who need treatment are ending up in our jails and while they’re there and those are the kinds of conditions they face they are not going to improve.”

At the Maplehurst Correctional Complex and the Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre investigators spoke with senior staff about overcrowding and lockdowns. Inmates reported dealing with a lack of access to phones and other services.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of the Solicitor General said via email on Wednesday, “Lockdowns can be necessary to maintain the safety and security of staff and inmates at a facility.”

The province received 4,444 cases about correctional facilities between 2023 and 2024 a staggering increase of 26 per cent from the previous year.

The surge comes as most facilities operate at or over capacity.

“This government is failing not only people who are incarcerated and their families but the people who work in corrections,” MPP Shaw said.

In June, the Ford government announced it would add hundreds of new beds across several facilities to help ensure safety and capacity.

It’s not just jails, Hamilton was at the top of the list when it came to complaints about Ontario cities, ranking third with 119 cases, behind Ottawa and Toronto.