B.C.鈥檚 public safety minister and solicitor general says the government is looking to bolster its staffing at Okanagan鈥檚 jail, acknowledging there have been issues with ratios of inmates to jail guards.
Mike Farnworth made his first appearance at the Okanagan Correctional Centre, the province鈥檚 newest jail, on Friday before speaking to media in the lobby of the building.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that is a priority for me as solicitor general, and it is something that we鈥檙e working on,鈥� Farnworth said of employment and retention at OCC.
鈥淚f you go around here, you鈥檒l see banners saying 鈥榃e are hiring,鈥� and these are good jobs here in the Okanagan, but in other parts of the province, so if people are looking for an opportunity for a good-paying, steady job, this is certainly one.鈥�
In terms of retention, Farnworth acknowledged wage disparities with other law enforcement agencies, such as police and federal prison guards, were part of the issue.
鈥淐ontract bargaining will be taking place,鈥� he said, adding the current union contract runs through to 2019, laying the blame for lower wages on previous governments. 鈥淭here is a discrepancy (with other agencies) and contracts have been negotiated by previous governments, both at the provincial level and the federal level.鈥�
Farnworth also spoke to recent measures to combat illicit drugs in the jail, saying though the addition of full body scanners to the jail had not fully plugged the flow of drugs into the site, he believed it helped.
鈥淧eople are always creative, but from what I鈥檝e heard, what I know and what I鈥檝e read about body scanning at the same place that it has dropped it significantly,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very impressive system that is here, but people will always try and find their way around (it).鈥�
dustin.godfrey@pentictonwesternnews.com
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