Fallout from Ford’s negligence continues at Maplehurst

QUEEN’S PARK — After first-degree murder charges were stayed against three inmates at Maplehurst Correctional Complex late last month, Ontarians are now at risk of further fallout from Doug Ford’s negligence.

After news broke warning that even more charges will likely be thrown out due to the province’s jails not meeting basic human rights standards, Ontario NDP Shadow Solicitor General Jennie Stevens, and Shadow Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam are urgently calling on the Ford government to make the necessary investments in Ontario’s correctional and justice systems.

“Doug Ford’s lack of interest in providing Ontario’s courts and jails with the necessary funding is making our province less safe,” said Stevens. “If three accused murderers walking free weren’t alarming enough, the Premier’s mismanagement has resulted in numerous other charges being thrown out, and reduced sentences for serious offenders.”

“Gross understaffing and unsafe conditions for both inmates and correctional workers should not be a fact of life in Ontario. Ford needs to take some responsibility and invest in our province’s correctional system, before it collapses under the weight of his negligence.”

“These catastrophic incidents are becoming the norm under Doug Ford, Michael Kerzner and Doug Downey,” said Wong-Tam. “The effects of this one horrific incident at Maplehurst are still reverberating through our province, but Ontarians should make no mistake: there is nothing stopping this from happening again.”

“Once again, the Ford government refuses to be accountable to Ontarians, making people across our province less safe because dangerous offenders will walk scott-free. Their silence will not improve the working conditions of corrections workers or the living conditions of inmates. Only a public inquiry into what happened at Maplehurst will get Ontarians the answers they deserve.”