NDP: Maplehurst Class-Action against Ford Government is a Symptom of the Crisis in Ontario Corrections

TORONTO — NDP Shadow Solicitor General Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) and Shadow Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) issued the following statement in response to five new lawsuits, including one class-action, against the Ford Government over the collective punishment of prisoners at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.

“We need clearer lines of accountability. This incident is a symptom of a bigger problem: Ontario’s correctional system is in crisis and Ford is refusing to act. There are systemic issues like staff-to-inmate ratios, chronic understaffing and even unsafe working conditions that are factors here,” MPP Stevens said. “This incident at Maplehurst shows how urgently investments in better mental health supports for corrections officers and inmates alike is needed.”

“Instead of making Ontarians safer, the Ford government and its Solicitor General Michael Kerzner continue to hide behind a cover-up, refusing transparency and investments. The horrific abuses recorded at Maplehurst will keep happening if there is no independent public inquiry and urgent action is not taken,” MPP Wong-Tam said.

“Ford’s failure to fix Ontario corrections is putting the work of law enforcement and public safety at risk. Judges have already begun considering the collective punishment of prisoners at Maplehurst when deciding bail terms and sentencing. This will interfere with legal cases that police officers, Crown Attorneys, and investigators have worked to build.”

BACKGROUND

• The Ontario government is facing at least five lawsuits from former prisoners of Maplehurst Correctional Complex, who say they suffered serious abuse when they were collectively punished in December 2023. In addition to the five lawsuits, the province has been served notice that lawyers intend to sue in 11 other cases.
• The proposed class action is seeking $30 million in damages on behalf of the 192 affected inmates. The other four lawsuits, representing eight inmates between them, are each seeking $1 million in damages for alleged Charter violations and other offences.
• The Ontario ombudsman is launching an investigation into the treatment of inmates and will probe the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s response to the incident.