Ottawa jail guard shortage causing 'burn out': union

A shortage of correctional staff at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre is causing a "burn-out environment," as inmates are forced to be confined to their cells more often, and scheduled visits and programs are cancelled, the head of the union that represents staff told CBC News.

Union head Denis Collin said the issue could lead to a province-wide strike or lockout if negotiations don't improve.

"Inmates tend to rely on routine. If that routine is offset in any way, it throws everything out of whack in an institution,"  Collin said.

"It does create more tension. It does create an environment of more instability."

Jacques Gobin said he has been turned away from scheduled Sunday morning visits to see his teenage son, Chris Gobin, three times since February due to staff shortages.

Chris Gobin is accused of killing his mother at their family home in Orleans in April 2014.

"This is a difficult situation for both of us. It's very important for him, I think, to have the support by somebody coming to visit him," Gobin said. 

"There is an emotional cost. It takes its toll. We are already separated by glass, there's an artificiality about the thing. Then to have it cancelled adds to the stress."

Collin said that training programs for staff, including first aid and suicide awareness, have also been cancelled due to the staff shortages.

Province to fill 5 positions, union wants 60

The Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said it hired 11 new correctional officers for the OCDC in 2014 and that it is working to fill five vacant positions.

It's part of a plan to hire 300 more correctional officers for its 29 jails this year, after hiring more than 450 last year, the ministry said.

However, Collin said the jail could easily hire 60 new full-time correctional officers. 

"It's like a drop in the bucket, really," Collin said. "They're giving us bits and pieces. A couple of officers here, a couple of officers there and it's really not meeting the demands."

He said many correctional officers who work at the jail are on fixed term contracts — and are not permanent employees.

"The lack of hiring has created a burn-out environment with staff," he said. "This summer, potentially their vacations are going to be denied because there just isn't a sufficient amount of staff being able to relieve those who need that vacation."