Ontario Enhancing Safety at Central North Correctional Centre

News Release March 9, 2022

Ontario Enhancing Safety at Central North Correctional Centre

New specialized Institutional Security Teams to be added to local facility

SIMCOE NORTH – The Ontario government is protecting the safety of correctional staff, inmates, and the public by creating new Institutional Security Teams at the Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in the Town of Penetanguishene.

Institutional Security Teams consist of specially trained correctional officers who gather information within correctional facilities to help prevent human trafficking, drug trafficking, and detect contraband items. This information is shared with justice partners, including police services, to assist in the investigation of criminal activities within Ontario’s adult correctional institutions.

“The government knows that too often, criminal activity can flourish when unidentified,” said Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North. “With the creation of a new Institutional Security Team at the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, the government is working to improve its information and intelligence gathering capacities, which will help all our justice partners combat criminal activity in Simcoe North.”

“Keeping drugs, weapons, and gang activity out of our facilities is critical to ensuring a safe environment for our correctional staff and for inmates,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “Our government has seen success with the Institutional Security Teams launched since 2019, which is why we are investing to equip correctional officers with the expertise they need to stop crime before it happens in more correctional communities.”

Central North Correctional Centre is one of two facilities receiving new Institutional Security Teams. Teams are part of Ontario’s Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy to strengthen information and intelligence gathering capacity, help detect and monitor human traffickers within the adult correctional system, and identify victims as part of criminal investigations to more effectively bring offenders to justice.

Teams also build on Ontario’s Contraband Strategy and Action Plan, a series of initiatives to detect contraband in adult correctional facilities, enhance security measures, and improve the collection, analysis and sharing of data with justice sector partners.

“The implementation of Institutional Security Teams at CNCC and CECC are a welcome addition which will increase the safety of staff and inmates at these two institutions,” said Janet Laverty, SOLGEN OPSEU MERC Vice-Chair. “Working collaboratively with other justice partners to interrupt human trafficking networks, prevent criminal activity, and thwart contraband from entering institutions keeps all of our communities safe.”