Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

GRAVENHURST — Beaver Creek may be out of sight — but not out of minds of locals who work and commute to jobs at the federal prisons here.

A death, a stabbing, two escapes and a contraband smuggling interception already this year at the penitentiary?

Not unusual, just another day and part of work life there say CSC workers.

What is more concerning for them is the looming threat of inmates walking around with needles, Correctional Service Canada prison union members said in a recent outing.

They say their job containing and managing inmates at the penitentiary is already difficult and they worry it could soon be more threatening.

They fear an impending introduction of a needle exchange program “within a year” for those incarcerated at the north east Gravenhurst institution. One that is already in place at almost half other 10 Canadian national jails in Ontario.

At a Muskoka mid-winter snow fest last month they talked about it while offering an at time jarring inside glimpse of a correctional worker’s life via pairs of virtual goggles that viewed vivid images of tense and disturbing daily working conditions in lockups.

The offering — oddly in a white tent at Skokie’s family event at the Muskoka Wharf carnival — was a public information centre they said to provide more insight into what they see as a further risk to the personal safety of 220 Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO).

Tim Foster has worked at the prison since it opened in 1998. Kerri Ludlow and Jill Duggan-James are also veterans of the prison system having worked at the dual penitentiary, respectively, for just over 20 and 28 years.

They said CSC is contemplating two drug related programs, which they say run counter to what the correctional facility is meant to prevent and deter.

One with the acronym OPS — Overdose Prevention Site — would allow inmates to receive by attending a nursing station regular drug injections.

The other — PNEP — Prison Needle Exchange Program would see needles handed out to the men inside. They could be turned in for new ones as needed possibly daily, according to the union members.

Said Ludlow: “We do not have an overdose prevention site (OPS) at Beaver Creek. There are other medium security sites across the country that do have them, including Drumheller (Alberta) and Springhill (Nova Scotia).

“When compared to the PNEP we believe the OPS is a safer option for offenders as they are supervised by nurses who can provide counselling on addictions and harm reduction,” she said.

“Narcan is immediately available in the event of an overdose. Compared to the PNEP where offenders inject drugs in secret.”

What’s prompting OPS and PNEP programs?

A CSC website here says they are to “complement its other harm reduction measures and health care services already in place to limit the spread of infectious diseases in federal institutions and ensures that offenders reintegrating into the community are doing so in a healthy and safe manner.”

Foster, an Ontario regional UCCO union rep, says it’s the large amount of drugs regularly entering and circulating among the minimum and medium populations.

He offered as proof on public display an album filled with pages of photos showing confiscated drugs including — fentanyl — which can be injected via needles.

Fentanyl, they said, “is usually a powder,” said Ludlow. “If you go in for surgery they may give you a patch or they can give it to you through IV.”

“Drugs are drugs,” says Foster, “they bring it all. It’s mind boggling.”

“We don’t always know what’s in packages smuggled in. It could be anything,” added Ludlow.

Foster added CSC’s argument is that for illegal drugs already in private use it’s better to provide needles to safely use rather than letting inmates share second-hand needles that may be contaminated or infected.

Men also use them to create their own prison tattoos, he said.

“Drug use is a problem at many sites including ours,” says Ludlow.

“Criminals from the community bring drugs/tobacco/cell phones/weapons to our community and use drones to deliver the drugs undetected as well as attempts to throw drugs over the fence.

“The minimum security site (BCI Minimum) does have concerns with offenders who leave the property to retrieve packages, which have been left for them.

“We believe this is a safety concern for neighbours and we encourage neighbours to reach out to police (non-emergency line).

“In addition to safety concerns we are concerned that by providing needles there is an increased risk of overdoses, which in turn puts strain on our emergency services like paramedics and hospital beds that may be needed by our community.”

The workers fear exactly what used needles mean to CSC staff who live with them day — and overnight.

They dread maybe being jabbed during an engagement or when coming in contact with them when left of found loose around the prisons.

Ludlow says if PNEP is introduced it would allow inmates to “go and switch it out. So they’re walking around the institution with a needle and they have the needle with them in their cells.

“Or the other option the OPS — which is our preference — is where they go in to health care and they can sit with the nurse and have counselling on their addiction.”

Foster said both programs are concerning as they send the wrong message about drug use and rehabilitation and also returning many convicted of drug users back to the streets with further uninhibited drug conditions.

Staffing issues another concern

Duggan-James said staffing is another pressing issue when “you can smell weed at 3 in the morning.”

She said there are about 250 inmates in the minimum system — which is unfenced — with about 40 CSC officers overseeing them.

Inside the minimum section with 525 men there are 180 CSC officers, she said.

“We can work with as few as three correctional officers after 10 o’clock at night at the minimum. And about 15 on the medium side.

“It’s a concern for sure.”

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