Talks continue to make probation, parole officers safer: Ontario Solicitor General

Ontario's Solicitor General says talks continue between her ministry and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) to improve safety for the province's parole and probation officers.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General announced this week it had outfitted probation and parole officers working in remote locations with new Blackline safety devices, which offer a number of features, including text and voice communication, fall detection, and a silent alarm.

OPSEU, which represents parole and probation officers, said the devices are an important part of increasing safety for the officers in remote locations.

However, the union is also calling for more measures to be implemented. For example, an OPSEU representative said Wednesday the union would likeall probation and parole officers in remote locations to work in teams of two.

Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said Wednesday there are several factors to take into account before implementing such measures.

"In my work as Solicitor General, when I visit communities, I make an effort to communicate, and drop in and speak to probation and parole officers because I want to hear their individual challenges," she told CBC News. "The probation and parole offices themselves are not consistent across the province. The physical makeup of the office isn't necessarily the same."

"So, those unique considerations are part of what we look at as a ministry."

OPSEU would also like to see metal detectors installed at probation and parole offices across Ontario to help prevent weapons from being brought in.

"Over the years, we have been looking at that," Jones said. "At this point, we see some of these other opportunities, like those Blackline safety [devices], to be more of an effective tool."

"With the beginning of the COVID pandemic, many of the probation and parole offices, if not all, have had renovations and modifications to make them safer in terms of Plexiglass, or specific, contained rooms so that both the individual being served as well as the probation and parole officer can continue their work safely."