Inmate families, CAP vice chief call for inmates nearing end of sentence to be released as COVID 19 takes hold in Sask Pen theturtleislandnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theturtleislandnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Inmates housed in the medium-security unit of Saskatchewan Penitentiary are alleging a lack of access to cleaning supplies and growing frustration as a COVID-19 outbreak keeps them confined to their cells for 23 and a half hours per day. The federal institution announced an outbreak of COVID-19 back on December 15 when 24 inmates tested positive. Now, that number has grown to at least 64 inmates and five staff. Without enough room to isolate infected inmates, they remain housed on their medium security range. Inmates say they get just 20 minutes out of their cells each day, and only allowed access to the showers and the phones. The situation is leading some to growing despair, with one inmate telling a loved one that some sentenced to life in prison are considering suicide.
MN–S says it will ensure that travel costs for in-hospital COVID-19 treatment is covered. Métis communities in lockdown and households in mandatory isolation are being supplied non-perishable food hampers and personal protective equipment (PPE). Post-secondary students will have access to rent, utility, and technology support. Emergency child care assistance is also available, with rental and housing support for those in arrears. MN–S Minister of Health Marg Friesen told the Prince Albert Daily Herald that she finds the needs that people are having difficulty meeting “quite alarming” especially when it comes to finding a safe place to stay while self-isolating or accessing PPE.
Cigar Lake uranium mine is closing for the second time this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of Cameco
Michael Bramadat-Willcock, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Saskatoon-based uranium producer Cameco Corp. temporarily suspended production at Cigar Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan on Monday amid a “significant negative trend in the pandemic” affecting the province. “The safety of our workers, their families and communities is our top priority,” Cameco President and CEO Tim Gitzel said in a statement announcing the closure. “We have had six positive tests at our northern operations in recent weeks, including three at Cigar Lake. While the protocols we have put in place have to date allowed us to effectively manage these cases, there are broader risks we don’t control,” Gitzel said.
To the Editor: The Saskatchewan government must acknowledge the crisis-level conditions in provincial correction centres and move quickly to address them, rather than claiming ignorance, says the union representing Saskatchewan corrections workers. “We have spoken out again and again about the dangerously overcrowded conditions in correctional centres,” said SGEU president Bob Bymoen. “Instead of taking action, the government has delayed the opening of facilities in Prince Albert and at Besnard Lake. They also cancelled an approved remand centre for Saskatoon, which has contributed to the severe overcrowding in all facilities. And, the government is surprised that inmates are complaining!” Bymoen was responding to an article in the August 12 issue of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, “Province to look into inhumane jail conditions,” which referenced a recent letter by inmates at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre that describes conditions there as desperately overcrowded a