August 13, 2024 – The Honorable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, spent an afternoon at the Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Institution near Montréal in his first visit to the facility as the minister responsible.
Mélissa Nolin, President of USJE Local 10172, met with the Minister and his assistants, along with Commissioner Ann Kelly and her colleague Éric Thibault, Vice-President of the UCCO-SACC Local. The visit was an opportunity for Minister LeBlanc to gauge the importance of infrastructure at the Regional Reception Centre and Special Handling Unit (RRC/SHU). He visited the SHU, the Structured Intervention Unit (SIU) and the green roof housing some of the inmates evacuated from Port-Cartier because of the forest fires in the Côte Nord region.
The Minister was able to see that the facilities at this penitentiary, the nerve centre for maintaining the country’s security, are mortgaged and need renovations.
Mélissa Nolin explained to Minister LeBlanc that for a while now there has been a significant and constant increase in the number of inmates arriving at the facility, causing a level of stress that is difficult to withstand with the resources available. July 2024 saw a record number of new arrivals, 105. This development has forced the institution into a double occupancy situation that seems to be the new normal. This increase in the inmate population in an institution where the cellblocks aren’t air conditioned has a negative effect on the entire chain of command. The higher the number of inmates, the more employees are needed to ensure both safety and smooth operation of the legal apparatus.
Mélissa upped the pressure by noting the outmoded funding model still in effect with its 1 case/4 days formula. Employees have a hard time fulfilling their legal obligations, as the law is clear on the allowable processing time (70 to 90 days, depending on the length of the sentence). This is due directly to the increased workload per employee and the lacks of resources at courthouses.
When the colleague from UCCO-SACC spoke to the Minister concerning the collective agreement and the attendant negotiations, the Minister noted that excellent agreements had been made recently, including those with the RCMP and with Border Services. Mélissa Nolin pointed out to the Minister that employees of Public Safety, most of whom are female, went on strike in the spring of 2023 and got 12.6%. The Departments with a majority of male employees mentioned by the Minister received very generous increases. Mélissa noted that USJE has great hopes for the equity exercise now under way, which keeps being extended. The Minister found the reminder about equity very interesting.
Minister LeBlanc expressed enthusiasm for a future visit to the Archambault institution.