hat “transporting and escorting correctional inmates is a job for trained and professional correctional officers,” He also wrote “Public safety cannot be compromised by leaving the care of prisoners with private citizens who lack the training and experience so crucially required.” (14)In January 2000, members of OPSEU made a 500-km round trip to attend a meeting with the Penetanguishene jail liaison committee. They went there to talk the jail out of privatizing. The meeting turned out in OPSEU favor when the committee left opposing a private jail. (15) Also in January, OPSEU joined hands with the staff at the Sudbury Jail and local citizens to fight the privatization of correctional services. OPSEU has a new policy that will support locals to finance public events in their communities that speak out against privatization of correctional services. OPSEU gained the support of two municipal councils. The two councils threw their support behind the anti-privatization motion that was passed by the town of Midland. OPSEU has also mailed lobby kits to all corrections locals. “Our goal is to have 100 councils support a motion opposing the privatization of correctional services,” said Barry Scanlon, chair of the OPSEU Ministry Employee Relations Committee in the Corrections Ministry. (16)OPSEU has also been involved in protests against privatization. In February, members showed up for a demonstration at the Bell Cairn Training Center in Hamilton. They came to protest privatization and the continuing misuse of unclassified staff in Ontario jails. (17) Also in February, OPSEU went public with government plans to have lone private security guards to escort violent offenders in communities across Ontario. They have planned to use one private guard to perform the duties of two professional correctional officers. The Health and Safety Act had ordered the government to use two professional corrections officers for al...
