Ombudsman sounds alarm about 'growing state of crisis' in Ontario jails

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 6:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Ontario's ombudsman is raising alarm astir a "growing authorities of crisis" successful provincial jails, saying successful his yearly study released connected Wednesday that urgent betterment is needed.

Paul Dubé said his bureau responded to 6,870 cases astir correctional facilities successful the fiscal twelvemonth 2024-2025, an summation of 55 per cent from the erstwhile fiscal year. Cases impact some complaints and inquiries.

"While overmuch of our enactment addresses concerns astir work delivery, galore of the issues that we brushwood spell acold beyond specified inefficiencies. They rise profound questions astir cardinal quality rights," Dubé told reporters at Queen's Park.
 
"Nowhere is this much evident than successful Ontario's correctional system, which is frankly successful a increasing authorities of crisis."

Dubé said galore of the complaints stemmed from "severe, entrenched" problems. These include:

• Overcrowding, including 3 inmates successful cells made for two.
• Frequent lockdowns.
• Inadequate wellness care.
• Indigenous inmates with nary entree to a autochthonal inmate liaison officer.
• Inmates with intelligence wellness issues being placed successful segregation, thing that is "not expected to happen."

Dubé said his unit visited 12 correctional facilities crossed Ontario successful the past year, including Maplehurst Correctional Complex successful Milton, Ont., and is successful regular interaction with elder managers of the facilities and Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General to gully attention to problems.

He besides said helium has launched an probe into the province's effect to a two-day incidental astatine Maplehurst successful December 2023, successful which "many inmates were truthful poorly treated that they person had the charges against them reduced oregon adjacent dismissed by judges." In that incident, inmates were ordered to portion to their underwear and to beryllium facing a partition with their wrists zip-tied.

'People housed successful broom closets and erstwhile pantries'

The probe volition look astatine however the Ministry of the Solicitor General handled the incidental and what it is doing to forestall specified an incidental from happening again.

"Overall, the conditions that we are seeing and proceeding astir successful the correctional strategy not lone neglect to conscionable the basal expectations of fairness and dignity, but successful immoderate cases actively undermine the precise principles of justness and quality rights that we are committed to protecting," Dubé said.

"This is simply a situation that requires urgent attraction and a agelong word committedness to meaningful reform."

Dubé said determination is some overcrowding and unit shortages successful correctional facilities, and helium has noticed that conditions person deteriorated successful the past fewer years.

"We're uncovering radical housed successful broom closets and erstwhile pantries and stuff. The strategy has deteriorated and it's successful crisis," helium said.

Dubé said the occupation should substance to each Ontario residents and that mediocre attraction and conditions are starring to reduced sentences oregon charges stayed. He noted that galore of those held successful Ontario jails have not been convicted of immoderate transgression but are awaiting trial.

"They are brothers, fathers and sons, but they're besides our neighbours. It's successful our involvement for those radical not to travel retired much breached than erstwhile they went successful and to beryllium rehabilitated arsenic overmuch arsenic possible," helium said. "It should substance to each of america what goes connected there."

'Treating radical worse than animals,' lawyer says

Kevin Egan, a lawyer successful London, Ont., who has represented inmates crossed the state astatine inquests, said aggregate inquests person made recommendations to the authorities connected changes and that the problems are not new.

"Unfortunately, it seems to maine that the occupation lies with the authorities successful not truly having an involvement successful fixing the problems, of which they person been good alert of for much than a decade," Egan said. "It's a implicit failure."

Egan said the unit successful jails occurs connected astir connected a regular basis. He said conditions are deplorable.

"Every waking moment, you're acrophobic that somebody's going to battle you, whether it's a chap captive oregon a correctional officer," helium said.

Egan said jails are intended to punish radical and to support the assemblage safe, but besides to rehabilitate inmates. Inmates should not beryllium deprived of their quality dignity, helium said.

"Let's telephone it what it is. It's treating radical worse than animals due to the fact that they whitethorn person tally afoul of the law," Egan said.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General's bureau did not respond to a petition for remark astir the report.

Ontario NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who represents Toronto Centre, said the study is not astonishing and the authorities is acquainted with the issues raised successful it.

"This authorities has had an ample warning," Wong-Tam said. "They person been advised. They person been warned. And they are proceeding the aforesaid things we are hearing. The lone large quality is that they won't hole it and they won't adjacent talk to the matter."

Wong-Tam said the courts and correctional systems needs to beryllium amended funded to amended conditions.

"They tin physique much jails, but if you can't get a lawsuit done trial, you'll beryllium gathering jails upon jails and those are inactive radical who are legally presumed innocent," Wong-Tam said.

According to Dubé, his bureau besides saw a immense summation successful complaints astir young radical successful detention and custody. Cases astir younker justness centres, which his unit visited to conscionable young detainees and perceive their concerns, much than doubled successful 2024-2025, to a grounds 423 from 202 the erstwhile year.

Overall, the ombudsman received 30,675 cases, including complaints and inquiries, successful the fiscal twelvemonth 2024-2025, which was a 30-year high. 

According to his report, the astir complained-about enactment was Tribunals Ontario with 1,237 cases, including 971 astir the Landlord and Tenant Board.