STEWARD TRAINING
TUESDAY – WEDNESDAY – THURSDAY
April 25-26-27, 2017

Court clerks from as far away as Fort St. John are being flown to Victoria to ease a temporary shortage of clerks at the Victoria courthouse. 

STEWARD TRAINING
TUESDAY – WEDNESDAY – THURSDAY
April 25-26-27, 2017

Sheriffs are being flown to Victoria to cover staffing shortages at the courthouse that led to the dismissal of criminal charges against two accused drug dealers last month, the B.C. Government and Services Employees’ Union says.

Last week, a BC court judge handed down a 14-month sentence to an inmate of Surrey Pretrial Services Centre for assaulting a correctional officer. The victim, a long-time BCGEU member, was the target of a vicious assault using fecal matter.
 
The Crown asked for 12 months, but the judge sentenced the inmate to 14 months of additional time. The judge stated that it's the prisons’ responsibility to ensure the safety of their officers, adding that the incident was not just an assault but was dehumanizing and will have a physical and psychological impact.
 
As recent statistics have shown, prison violence is on the rise and incidents like this are becoming more common within the BC’s prison system.

 A victim impact statement prepared by the BCGEU was read out in court by Crown Counsel. The BCGEU and BC Corrections are working together on creating an impact statement template to be utilized by all BC prisons moving forward.
  
“This sentencing is a reminder for Public Safety Minister Mike Morris and BC’s court system to take notice of the extremely dangerous and violent conditions our officers are faced with every day,” said Dean Purdy, Vice President, Corrections and Sheriff Services.
 
“This was an unprovoked and disgusting attack and we’re hopeful the sentence will send a message to other inmates that it’s not okay to assault correctional officers,” said Purdy. “The job of correctional officers is already very difficult, but with the increase in gangs, inmates with mental health issues, overcrowding, and now the growing issue of high potency drugs and overdoses, it creates a work environment with extreme stress levels.” 

As a result of the ongoing sheriff shortage, Kamloops Sheriff Services has begun flying deputy sheriffs to the Victoria courthouse on Sundays for overtime, taking care of their meals and accommodation. This arrangement is expected to continue for approximately the next six months in order to help mitigate the ongoing sheriff staffing crisis.

A private, for-profit company will no longer provide health care to inmates, after the B.C. government’s decision to transfer inmate care to the Health Ministry from the Public Safety Ministry. 

Re:  50th BCGEU Triennial Constitutional Convention –
       Local 102 Alternate Delegate

A lot of questions and comments came in with the benefits provider transition announcement in January.