A prisoner recently spent almost two years in solitary confinement in a B.C. jail, but the solicitor general says it was not nearly as harsh as conditions in Ontario, where that province is embroiled in controversy over a prisoner left in solitary for four years. Read more...

A potentially life-saving drug for overdose patients will be introduced to prisons across B.C. and staff will begin learning how to administer it next week. Read more...

A violent incident occurred Sunday night at Burnaby Youth Custody Centre (BYCC). It is the latest in a string of incidents at the facility, and is yet another example of the escalating violence in BC prisons.

In the war on Fentanyl, Const. Justin Ickringill has gotten closer than any officer wants to be to the potentially lethal drug. Read more...

Your Component 1 Executive would like to remind you of your rights under the Public Service Agreement and the Correctional and Sheriff Services Component agreement when it comes to scheduling annual vacation.
 
Below is the language in the Public Service and Component agreements that outline the annual vacation process.
 
Public Service Agreement ARTICLE 18 –ANNUAL VACATIONS
 
18.3
With the exception of authorized vacation carryover under Clause 18.6, the scheduling and (a) completion of vacations shall be on a calendar-year basis.
The calendar year in which an employee's first anniversary falls shall be the first vacation year. (b)For the purpose of additional leave entitlement, the calendar year in which the fifth anniversary falls shall be the fifth vacation year; in which the sixth anniversary falls shall be the sixth vacation year; etc.
During the first six months of continuous employment an employee may, subject to mutual (c)agreement at the local level, take vacation leave which has been earned.
Scheduling of vacation shall be subject to the provisions of the applicable component (d)agreement.
Vacation schedules, once approved by the Employer, shall not be changed, other than in cases (e) of emergency, except by mutual agreement between the employee and the Employer.
 
17^th Component Agreement- Sheriffs Provisions- ARTICLE 4 - ANNUAL VACATIONS
 
4.1 Prime Time Vacation Period
(a) Subject to the provisions of this article, it is the intent of the parties that no employees shall be restricted in the time of year they choose to take their vacation entitlement. However, all employees shall be allowed to take at least four weeks of their vacation entitlement during the period of May 1 to September 30, inclusive, which shall be defined as prime time vacation period.
(b) For those employees who have more than four weeks' vacation entitlement, the Employer shall make every reasonable effort to allow such employees to take their complete vacation entitlement during the prime time vacation period if they so desire.
 
4.2 Preference in Vacation
(a) Vacations shall be granted on the basis of service seniority within a classification series in the work unit.
(b) An employee shall be entitled to receive their vacation in an unbroken period.
(c) Where an employee chooses to break their vacation entitlement, additional selection(s) shall be made only after all other employees concerned have made their initial selection(s). Such additional selections shall be made in order of seniority.
 
4.3 Vacation Schedules
(a) Completed vacation schedules will be posted by April 1 of each year. The schedule will be circulated commencing February 1 of each year.
(b) An employee who does not exercise their seniority rights within two weeks of receiving the vacation schedule, shall not be entitled to exercise those rights in respect to any vacation time previously selected by an employee with less seniority.
(c) An employee who relocates to another work location where the vacation schedule has already been completed will not be entitled to exercise their seniority rights for that year only. However, every effort shall be made to grant vacation at the time of the employee's choice. If an employee is relocated by the Employer, they will be given the vacation time previously selected.
(d) In accordance with Clause 18.3(e) - Vacation Scheduling of the Master Agreement vacation schedules, once approved by the Employer, shall not be changed, other than in cases of emergency, except by mutual agreement between the employee and the Employer.
 
The Component uses a formula in Corrections and in other jurisdictions that calculates the number of spot/positions available each day during Prime Time May 1st to September 30th that works for very well:

B.C.’s fentanyl crisis is no longer just on the streets, it’s entering correctional facilities and compromising the safety of guards, including a deputy sheriff in Nanaimo who was taken to hospital this week for exposure to a high-potency drug, likely fentanyl. Read more...

Teens who participated in a riot at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre this past summer openly mocked a perceived lack of severe consequences, according to documents obtained by the NOW. Read more...

Today your union is launching a campaign: Prison Violence puts us all at Risk. 

A report released today by the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY), Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, has once again exposed the lack of services available to young people struggling with mental health and addictions issues. The report Last Resort: One family’s tragic struggle to find help for their son