Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am just wondering: what is the total allocation for this budget for corrections officer training? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't think we have the exact figure, but we can get it for you. I think it is broken up between different locations. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Mr. Chair, the issue of correctional officer training has been raised in this Assembly before. It has been a concern of many of the staff at the facility. The Minister is quite aware of this. I am surprised that he does not have those numbers here. Can he give an approximation of the resources dedicated to training in this budget? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't have an exact figure, as I mentioned previously, but out estimate is it is about $250,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Has that number increased from last year's budget?
Thank you. Minister.
Again, it was an estimate, Mr. Chair, but I understand it is about the same as the previous year. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, training concerns were identified as a key issue by staff at the correctional facility, who contacted Regular Members raising their concerns. How is the Minister addressing those concerns around staff training in this budget? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
I can explain that management of the facility has been working with the corrections officers, so hopefully they have identified a manner in which the training can be delivered most effectively, which is better for both the management and staff. We are aware of this issue. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you. The Minister is aware of this issue. I am asking the Minister how he is addressing this issue, departmental resources. I will be specific. With the elimination of a dedicated rec officer, and now the expectation that all corrections officers will perform recreational programming at the facility, what training resources had been allocated to ensure officers are trained to offer recreational programming to all offenders? I am not talking about supervising a basketball game. I am talking about the same level of service that they receive from dedicated recreation program officers at the facility who are now gone. What training is in place to ensure that all corrections officers can deliver that programming? Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. There has been a redesign of that program. The training provided to corrections officers is to ensure the safety and well-being of all of the offenders. We are very confident that we have adequate training in place. We have encountered some resistance to this shift, in part because of this misunderstanding that we are imposing new duties and new requirements on corrections officers. The reality is that we are not asking corrections officers when they are performing that role of supervising inmates during the recreational activity to do anything like serve as their personal trainer or their activity coordinator. They are there to ensure the security and safety of inmates during those activities. We do think we built awareness, understanding, and appreciation of that shift, and that adequate training is in place. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. What recreational programming was being provided by the recreational program officer? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. The recreational program officer did not just supervision of the inmates, but would organize often some activities akin to intramurals. Those really are no longer available, largely because the shift in the inmate population requiring greater security and less frequent contact, so a decision was made that it really didn't make operational sense to continue to facilitate and encourage those kinds of activities. Hence, the shift that we have seen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is the first that I have been aware of a shift in security requirements at the facility. Can I get some clarification on that? Are we elevating the security requirements at the facility as a result of changes to the Corrections Act, changes to policies? What exactly is the source of the shift? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
I think the change has been driven by the change of the composition of the inmate population, but I will let Mr. Goldney expand on that.
Thank you. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I will apologize in advance for speaking in generalities, because we are somewhat constrained when we get into the operational detailing of security requirements, but the Minister is quite right. There has been an evolution in our inmate population where we do see with more frequency the requirement for things like no-contact orders. We have seen a dramatic increase, as have many other jurisdictions, in the percentage of our inmates who are on remand. Many of them might have co-accused or other reasons for not being allowed contact with other inmates, and that is part of the shift that we have seen. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It seems like this issue could have been avoided if those changes were properly communicated. My understanding was, again, that this was a cost-cutting measure and not a result of security changes. What is the department doing to ensure that those kinds of changes that are altering the duties of correctional officers who are working at that facility are effectively communicated and understood? I know the deputy minister spoke to his belief that the officers are better informed, but what policies have they put in place to ensure those operational changes are properly understood by staff? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
First of all, Mr. Chair, I want to say that there have been no financial reductions at the corrections facilities that I am aware of, and I also understood that senior staff are meeting with corrections officers on a regular basis to inform them of any changes in programming. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. The question was regarding policy changes. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. As part of the regularized meetings between the warden and senior officials within corrections with corrections officers, we certainly recognize that we did need to improve appreciation and understanding of the policy changes that were being reflected in the program delivery. That is occurring more frequently and more regularly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. Testart.
Thank you. I will just conclude that. Previous to what is going on now, has the frequency changed? What I am getting at is: are we doing anything differently from before these changes went in place? Is there any way that they can provide some details on how they have made a meaningful change in how communication is going from headquarters to the facility? It is fine to hear we are doing a better job, but in the absence of policy or numbers in this budget, I would like some assurances. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. The time has expired, but I will allow the witnesses to respond. Minister.
Yes, I understand that there are more meetings between senior staff and corrections officers than there once were. Hopefully, these problems, if they are problems, won't recur in the future. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We had a lot of discussion last calendar year on a number of events that happened, and now we are discussing the physical budget for the coming year for this department.
I get the feeling, and if the Minister could confirm: is there an in-house program review being conducted to include, and I would encourage, I would say, three operational components to this review? One is rehabilitation programming delivery, reintegration program delivery, and looking at the staff of the department.
The staff could include a succession plan here. As the Minister will recall, we had a long-service award ceremony on February 8th. If some of the staff individuals, employees, are getting to the year of their retirement, we should include a succession plan for the staff component of this in-house program review. Will the Minister confirm if there is one being done? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Minister.
Yes, of course, the issue of succession planning is very important. I know that every year or few years there are no graduates of the program who have decided to pursue a career in corrections. There is succession planning from that point of view. Perhaps I will let the deputy minister expand on that a bit. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Goldney.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In addition to the succession planning concern, we are very mindful of the need to manage that the best that we can. We do offer corrections training to encourage people to pursue careers in corrections. We also take time to identify potential succession and to offer training through transfer assignments, to the extent we can try to avoid a situation where there are gaps in the delivery of our services.
As far as the ongoing review of programs and services that the Member raises, I am pleased to report that one of the key recommendations coming from the Auditor General's review of our corrections services has been implemented, and that was around the need for a performance and accountability framework, which is very much intended to provide that ongoing review to ensure that our programs and services within the facilities and within our corrections services are being delivered as intended. That framework has just been rolled out this year and has already seen some reviews of programs and services, and we expect that to continue and to help keep us on track. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks for the reply there. I look forward to, as we move forward, progress reports from the department or briefings on the progress that is being made for program delivery. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. That was more of a comment. Next, I have Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, in this section, there are almost 250 employees. I was wondering if the department has an affirmative action plan to increase the number of priority one candidates in the public service in this particular section. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister.
