Latest news with #PaulDube
Toronto Sun
26-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
Ombudsman calls for 'urgent' Ontario correctional reform after record complaints
Published Jun 25, 2025 • 1 minute read The Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ont. Photo by Postmedia Network Ontario's ombudsman is urging the province to address a 'growing crisis' in correctional facilities, pointing to a record number of complaints about facilities in the last year as well as deteriorating conditions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ombudsman Paul Dube says in his 2024-25 annual report that there was a 55% increase in complaints about correctional facilities, totalling a record 6,870. Dube says that while the sector has always been the top source of complaints, the nature and severity of what his office has heard and witnessed demand 'urgent attention.' Many of the issues go beyond inefficiencies, Dube says, to the point of raising questions about basic human rights. He says many of the complaints regarding corrections were about 'severe, entrenched problems' such as overcrowding, frequent lockdowns and inadequate health care, as well as inmates with mental-health issues being placed in segregation or Indigenous inmates not having access to a liaison officer. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More The ombudsman says his office also recently launched an investigation into a two-day incident at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton in December 2023, when inmates were ordered to strip to their underwear and sit facing a wall with their wrists zip-tied. 'When we fail to uphold the basic dignity of people in custody, we do more than inflict harm — we erode public trust, degrade working conditions for staff, and weaken the very foundations of our justice system,' he wrote in the report. Cases about youth facilities, which include complaints and inquiries, also more than doubled in the last year, jumping to 423 from 202 the previous year, the report says. A record 3,908 complaints were also filed about municipalities, the report says, and many local officials have been receptive to best practices around fairness, transparency and accountability. The ombudsman says his office received a total of 30,675 cases in the 2024-2025 fiscal year — a 30-year high. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto & GTA Canada Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Music
CBC
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ombudsman sounds alarm about 'growing state of crisis' in Ontario jails
Ontario's ombudsman is raising alarm about a "growing state of crisis" in provincial jails, saying in his annual report released on Wednesday that urgent reform is needed. Paul Dubé said his office responded to 6,870 cases about correctional facilities in the fiscal year 2024-2025, an increase of 55 per cent from the previous fiscal year. Cases involve both complaints and inquiries. "While much of our work addresses concerns around service delivery, many of the issues that we encounter go far beyond mere inefficiencies. They raise profound questions about fundamental human rights," Dubé told reporters at Queen's Park. "Nowhere is this more evident than in Ontario's correctional system, which is frankly in a growing state of crisis." Dubé said many of the complaints stemmed from "severe, entrenched" problems. These include: Overcrowding, including three inmates in cells made for two. Frequent lockdowns. Inadequate health care. Indigenous inmates with no access to a native inmate liaison officer. Inmates with mental health issues being placed in segregation, something that is "not supposed to happen." Dubé said his staff visited 12 correctional facilities across Ontario in the past year, including Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton, Ont., and is in regular contact with senior managers of the facilities and Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General to draw attention to problems. He also said he has launched an investigation into the province's response to a two-day incident at Maplehurst in December 2023, in which "many inmates were so poorly treated that they have had the charges against them reduced or even dismissed by judges." In that incident, inmates were ordered to strip to their underwear and to sit facing a wall with their wrists zip-tied. 'People housed in broom closets and former pantries' The investigation will look at how the Ministry of the Solicitor General handled the incident and what it is doing to prevent such an incident from happening again. "Overall, the conditions that we are seeing and hearing about in the correctional system not only fail to meet the basic expectations of fairness and dignity, but in some cases actively undermine the very principles of justice and human rights that we are committed to protecting," Dubé said. "This is a challenge that requires urgent attention and a long term commitment to meaningful reform." Dubé said there is both overcrowding and staff shortages in correctional facilities, and he has noticed that conditions have deteriorated in the past few years. "We're finding people housed in broom closets and former pantries and stuff. The system has deteriorated and it's in crisis," he said. Dubé said the problem should matter to all Ontario residents and that poor treatment and conditions are leading to reduced sentences or charges stayed. He noted that many of those held in Ontario jails have not been convicted of any crime but are awaiting trial. "They are brothers, fathers and sons, but they're also our neighbours. It's in our interest for those people not to come out more broken than when they went in and to be rehabilitated as much as possible," he said. "It should matter to all of us what goes on there." 'Treating people worse than animals,' lawyer says Kevin Egan, a lawyer in London, Ont., who has represented inmates across the province at inquests, said multiple inquests have made recommendations to the government on changes and that the problems are not new. "Unfortunately, it seems to me that the problem lies with the government in not really having an interest in fixing the problems, of which they have been well aware of for more than a decade," Egan said. "It's a complete failure." Egan said the violence in jails occurs on almost on a daily basis. He said conditions are deplorable. "Every waking moment, you're afraid that somebody's going to assault you, whether it's a fellow prisoner or a correctional officer," he said. Egan said jails are intended to punish people and to keep the community safe, but also to rehabilitate inmates. Inmates should not be deprived of their human dignity, he said. "Let's call it what it is. It's treating people worse than animals because they may have run afoul of the law," Egan said. The Ministry of the Solicitor General's office did not respond to a request for comment about the report. Ontario NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who represents Toronto Centre, said the report is not surprising and the government is familiar with the issues raised in it. "This government has had an ample warning," Wong-Tam said. "They have been advised. They have been warned. And they are hearing the same things we are hearing. The only major difference is that they won't fix it and they won't even speak to the matter." Wong-Tam said the courts and correctional systems needs to be better funded to improve conditions. "They can build more jails, but if you can't get a case through trial, you'll be building jails upon jails and those are still people who are legally presumed innocent," Wong-Tam said. According to Dubé, his office also saw a huge increase in complaints about young people in detention and custody. Cases about youth justice centres, which his staff visited to meet young detainees and hear their concerns, more than doubled in 2024-2025, to a record 423 from 202 the previous year. Overall, the ombudsman received 30,675 cases, including complaints and inquiries, in the fiscal year 2024-2025, which was a 30-year high. According to his report, the most complained-about organization was Tribunals Ontario with 1,237 cases, including 971 about the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé to release Annual Report on Wednesday, June 25
TORONTO, June 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Ombudsman Paul Dubé will publicly release his Annual Report on Wednesday, June 25 at 11 a.m., after it is tabled with the Legislative Assembly. The report covers the work of the Ombudsman's Office during the 2024-2025 fiscal year (from April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025), including updates on investigations, trends in cases, and case summaries. Ombudsman Dubé will hold a press conference about the report at the Queen's Park Media Studio on June 25 from 11 to 11:30 a.m., in which journalists can participate in person or by phone. The press conference will also be streamed live on the Ombudsman's website – . The report, press release, highlights and Mr. Dubé's opening remarks will be posted on the Ombudsman's website at 11 a.m. and shared via social media. Ombudsman staff will be available to answer questions from journalists on background prior to the press conference in Committee Room 1 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Accredited journalists who wish to participate in the press conference and obtain an embargoed digital copy of the report 90 minutes in advance are asked to send an email request before Tuesday, June 24 at 3 p.m. to: Aussi disponible en français SOURCE Ombudsman Ontario View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
CTV News
10-06-2025
- CTV News
Strip search of inmates at Milton jail to be investigated by Ontario's Ombudsman
The Maplehurst Correctional Complex is shown in Milton, Ont., on Friday, March 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette The province's Ombudsman has launched an investigation into an incident at Maplehurst Correctional Complex where several inmates were stripped to their boxers and forced to sit on the floor and face the wall. The incident took place following the assault of a correctional officer in December 2023. In an announcement on Monday, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube said the investigation is being conducted 'due to significant public concerns about transparency, accountability and inmates' rights.' Dube said his office has been contacted by several inmates and members of the public who are concerned about what happened. The Toronto Star previously released a surveillance video showing the incident at the Milton, Ont., facility. Dube noted that about 60 complaints were received by his office. 'The Ministry has already investigated the incident. What my investigation will cover is the steps the Ministry took as a result, and what it is doing to make sure something like this does not happen again,' Dube said in a news release. According to the Ombudsman, the inmates involved were in Unit 8. After the assault of a correctional officer, the complex's Institutional Crisis Intervention Team (ICIT) was deployed for two days. The Ombudsman said ICIT officers in tactical gear patrolled behind the inmates, who were sitting on the floor facing the wall with their hands zip-tied and only wearing boxer shorts. 'When an incident occurs in an Ontario correctional facility that impacts the administration of justice and the rights of inmates, it is imperative that we understand why it happened and what is being done to ensure that it does not recur,' Dube said. The Ombudsman noted that the incident resulted in some inmates having their sentences reduced, and in one case, the prosecution acknowledged that an inmate's rights under the Charter were violated. Dube's investigation will not examine personnel or disciplinary matters related to individual correctional staff.
CBC
09-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ombudsman to investigate Ontario's response to strip-search by jail guards in riot gear
Ontario's ombudsman says its office will investigate the province's response to a strip search of inmates by jail guards in riot gear at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in December 2023. In a news release on Monday, Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé said the investigation into the ministry of the solicitor general's response is due to public concerns about transparency, accountability and inmates' rights. The strip search followed an assault on a correctional officer at the complex in Halton Region, which holds nearly 1,500 inmates in medium and maximum security. Members of Maplehurst's Institutional Crisis Intervention Team (ICIT) were involved. During the two days in which ICIT correctional officers were deployed at the jail, the ombudsman said inmates in unit 8 were stripped to their boxer shorts, forced to sit on the floor and face the wall with their wrists zip-tied, while correctional officers in tactical gear conducted patrols behind them. "Several inmates and members of the public have contacted us to express concerns about the treatment of inmates by the ICIT over two days in December 2023," Dubé said in the release. "The Ministry has already investigated the incident. What my investigation will cover is the steps the Ministry took as a result, and what it is doing to make sure something like this does not happen again." The Ombudsman received about 60 complaints about the Maplehurst strip search, including from inmates directly involved in the incident. The ministry has finished its internal investigations of the matter, the release said. Subsequently, judges who raised concerns about the incident have reduced the sentences of some of these inmates, according to the ombudsman. In one case, the prosecution argued that an inmate's rights under Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been violated during the strip search. "When an incident occurs in an Ontario correctional facility that impacts the administration of justice and the rights of inmates, it is imperative that we understand why it happened and what is being done to ensure that it does not recur," Dubé said. According to Dubé, the investigation will also look at what safeguards can be put in place to prevent a similar incident. The investigation will not look at personnel or disciplinary matters concerning individual correctional staff, he said.
