Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, last month the Solicitor General wisely reversed the decision to eliminate late-night admissions at the Edmonton Remand Centre and rely on police lock-up facilities to house offenders after an outcry from police and corrections personnel.

To the Solicitor General. You indicated mid-March that this issue would be resolved almost immediately. I’d like to know what solution has been reached after a month’s time.

Mr. Oberle: Well, Mr. Speaker, no solution has been reached right at the moment, which is why we are still operating overnight admissions and discharges, and we will not change until we’ve reached an agreeable solution with the police forces involved.

Mr. Hehr: To the same minister, Mr. Speaker. Although nighttime remand admissions have continued downsizing, they still occur at these understaffed and overcrowded institutions. Are you still planning to eliminate five or six guards at the Calgary and Edmonton remand centres? Is that option still on the table?

Mr. Oberle: We haven’t made any changes until we’ve determined what we’re going to do with overnight admissions and discharges, but we’re not actually reducing guards on the floor. I’m not sure what the member is talking about.

Mr. Hehr: Given that you told me that you were going to have a reasonably quick decision made in regard to these late-night admissions, have you revised the timetable when something will be done on this issue, or are we going to continue to have overcrowding all through the summer months?

Mr. Oberle: Well, whether we have overnight admissions or discharges, Mr. Speaker, surely the member would recognize, has absolutely nothing to do with overcrowding in our facilities. We manage the levels of inmates very well in our facilities and move them around. We’re doing a very good job there. It has nothing whatsoever to do with overcrowding.

Alberta Hansard, April 19, 2010

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