Stiles and Mamakwa call out the Premier for careless words about corrections in Thunder Bay

QUEEN’S PARK – Leader of the Official Opposition, Marit Stiles, and Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong) have issued a statement in response to the Premier’s flippant comments on the new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex:

“The Premier’s comments were ignorant and are a reminder that he is completely out of touch with the reality of what’s actually going on in correctional facilities,” said Stiles.

“What the Premier is unable to recognize is that the ongoing use of the Thunder Bay jail with its outdated infrastructure, capacity issues, and chronic understaffing is unsafe for everyone. These serious safety issues disproportionately impacts First Nations inmates, especially those suffering with mental health issues. The Jury’s recommendation was clear: the closure of the Thunder Bay Jail must be taken seriously.

“The current Thunder Bay jail is a death trap. It needs to shut down permanently,” said MPP Mamakwa, whose nephew passed away while held at the jail in 2020.

“There have been many calls for this jail to close,” continued Mamakwa. “Not only from First Nations leaders, but most recently by the jury at the inquest into Kevin Mamakwa’s death, under the direction of the office of the Chief Coroner, which operates within the premier’s own Ministry of the Solicitor General.”

Over 53 per cent of the people incarcerated at the Thunder Bay Jail are Indigenous (although the real figure is likely much higher).

“Most of the people in the Thunder Bay District Jail are from the very lands that the Premier is trying to extract critical minerals from. Those are their homelands. But the Premier seems to only be concerned about exploiting those resources rather than upholding their basic human rights.”