Hundreds of provincial employees with the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU) will protest on the streets of Winnipeg today in response to the Manitoba government’s “inaction in addressing overcrowding in provincial jails.” Overcrowding was blamed on a riot at the Brandon Correctional Centre back in October 2009 (above). The riot forced upgrades to be implemented to house more inmates.
Also at issue is backlogs dealing with accused offenders on remand, and growing caseloads for workers dealing with individuals on probation.
The protesters will march through downtown Winnipeg at 2:15 p.m. beginning at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, and then proceed down St. Mary Avenue to Memorial Boulevard, and finally up Memorial Boulevard to the steps of the Manitoba Legislature.
The planned protest comes a day after Attorney General Andrew Swan announced plans to expand inmate capacity at Milner Ridge Correctional Centre to an additional 160 beds, on top of the already underway expansion to add 64 more beds. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2012.
Image credit: eBrandon.ca
