On February 19, Members of Parliament Sukhman Gill and Brad Vis visited Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, BC alongside USJE Regional Vice President Kirsty Havard and Local 20017 Vice President Louise Shibicky.
MPs Gil and Vis met with USJE members working throughout the federal penitentiary to learn more about their contributions to public safety, and the risks of psychological injury when working daily with an offender population. The group started the tour by visiting the Regional Reception and Assessment Centre where 99 percent of federally sentenced male inmates are processed in the Pacific region. The MPs spoke with an Information Gathering Technician (IGT), whose work involves careful screening of sex offender-specific material from incoming documents to avoid having this material circulate within the living units.
Despite constantly being exposed to potentially traumatic content, the IGT team only receives mental health support through the standard federal benefits plan and access to the Employee Assistance Plan.
There is no o other formal support through the employer to assist employees in their psychological well-being. Trauma-informed psychologists are difficult to find in the Abbotsford area, and often have lengthy wait times. Further, it is up to employees to find an appropriate, trauma-informed psychologist on their own private time.
In the Institutional stores area, USJE members shared their distress over cuts to cleaners in correctional facilities across the country, and the fact that so little information is being shared around these cuts.
Enhancements to professional cleaning were introduced during the pandemic and have been crucial to maintaining basic hygiene standards. The MPs present were very empathetic to this situation.
The group also visited the kitchen in time to watch the Food Service Officers (FOS) processing meals for lunch. Kitchens in BC’s penitentiaries have been understaffed for decades; the current staffing model is largely predicated on the retention of 90-day casuals and requires new employees being constantly trained and re-trained—due to the high turnover rate.
Notably, the FOS at Pacific Institution are responsible for feeding nearly 400 inmates every day, despite this understaffing.
Over lunch, the MPs met with USJE members who explained their day-to-day roles and how their lives have, unfortunately, been physically and mentally threatened while carrying out their duties in a federal penitentiary. Members were able to directly share some of their concerns with MPs Gill and Vis, including:
- Understaffing
- The closure of the penitentiary’s ’s hospital (B unit)
- The newest return to office (RTO) mandate
- Workforce Adjustments, particularly cuts to teaching and librarian positions that will affect inmate outcomes
To close out the day, the group met with Warden Atilla Turi to discuss some of the infrastructure issues at the site, including leaking pipes and asbestos.
The MPs left the penitentiary with a deeper understanding of the challenges associated with working in a prison environment and the negative impacts of Workforce Adjustment, Return to Office, and impasses at the bargaining table.
We appreciate MP Gill and MP Vis’ support for revisions to the Government Employees Compensation Act, which will enable federal Public Safety Personnel to access mental health support related to operational stress injuries. The MPs presented the USJE representatives with a certificate thanking USJE members for the services they provide every day to keep Canadians safe.
USJE thanks Louise Shibicky for leading the tour through the facility, and Local 20017 President Laura Wildly for arranging the tour, though she was unfortunately unable to join.