MANAGEMENT AT GRAND VALLEY INSTIT.: INCOMPETENCE & ARROGANCE

It shouldn't have taken nearly this long to find out what the hell happened over five years ago at the Grand Valley Institution for Womwn, in Kitchener. Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Smith response rules changed before she died" and today's Record has this story "Guards "shocked" by order to not enter Ashley smith's cell, inquest told". The second guard on the witness stand, Charlene Venter, has testifed stating "To not go in right away is walking a very fine line. The longer we wait to go in, the closer Ashley is getting to death". She was reacting to the new rules not to remove ligatures quickly from asley Smith's neck. Today's Record describes another guards testimony and how shocked front line guards were with the management plan stipulating they were not to remove ligatures until Ms. Smith had ceased breathing. This plan was not drawn up with any input from these front line guards. Travis McDonald is the third guard to testify and one of four who were initially charged with criminal negligence causing death. The Crown later dropped the charges when they found that Correctional Service Canada failed to disclose evidence about the do not intervene orders the guards had received. Unbelievable! Not only were management incompetent but when Ms. Smith died they attempted to make scapegoats out of those who had advised them against their non-intervention plan. This is precisely why unions were and are needed in this country. Management are too often incompetent, arrogant and totally unaccountable. In a non-union situation these employees would still be without employment courtey of corrupt supervisers.

We have at long last seen one name in print from management at Grand Valley. That would be deputy warden Joanna Pauline. Now lets see the rest of this bunch who seem more concerned with their careers and position than they do about the life of an inmate.