September, 2025

In The News

Class Action Suit for Compensation if you were held in an Ontario correctional facility or immigration detention centre between May 30, 2009 and November 27, 2017

If you were held in an Ontario correctional facility or immigration detention centre between May 30, 2009 and November 27, 2017, and experienced lockdowns caused by understaffing, you may be eligible for financial compensation through a proposed class action settlement.

👥 Two lawsuits are involved:
✔️ Lapple v. Ontario – for inmates in provincial correctional institutions
✔️ Dadzie v. Ontario and Canada – for immigration detainees held in those same institutions

💰 Compensation ranges from $2,000 to $68,000 per eligible person, depending on your experience and time in lockdown.

📝 The settlement is not yet final — but if approved, it could impact many former and current inmates or detainees. If you or someone you know was affected, now’s the time to learn more.

📍 You may qualify if you were:
➡️In a provincial correctional facility or immigration detention centre in Ontario (excluding Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre, Ontario Correctional Institute or St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre)
➡️Detained between May 30, 2009 – Nov 27, 2017
➡️Affected by lockdowns due to staff shortages

📲 Find out more or register for updates:
🌐 www.ONTJailStaffLockdowns.ca

📞 1-844-742-0825
📧 info@ONTJailStaffLockdowns.ca

‘Harmful consequences’ to Cecil Facer closure: Police board

Sudbury.com   Tyler Clark         Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.

The Cecil Facer Youth Centre should remain open, as closing it “will have disproportionate and harmful consequences for Northern Ontario communities.”

So describes a draft letter to the province which the Greater Sudbury Police Service board will vote on whether to send during Wednesday’s public meeting at police headquarters.

The province’s decision to close the facility “prioritizes administrative convenience over the well-being of youth, families, and communities, while further straining already underfunded police resources,” according to the draft letter.

“We strongly urge the Government of Ontario to reconsider the planned closure and to maintain Cecil Facer Youth Centre as a critical Northern Ontario institution that supports both public safety and youth rehabilitation.”

In addition to a strain on police resources, John Howard Society of Sudbury CEO Sara Berghammer told Sudbury.com in June that it adds a stressor for youths in detention.

“It’s terrible for the reintegration back into their community because they’re not kept in the community they’re from,” she said. “If they happen to have family or guardians that care about them, they have to travel to wherever they are to see them, and that’s not always possible.”

During the June police board meeting, Chair Gerry Lougheed requested that staff draft the letter advocating the centre remains open which they’ll vote on during Wednesday’s meeting.

In addition to a strain on staff resources, the letter echoes the concerns expressed by Berghammer, noting, “Proximity to family and guardians is vital to rehabilitation and reintegration,” and that shipping youths far from their home communities will:

• Sever critical family and cultural support systems
• Create significant barriers to visitation, often making it impossible
• Impose psychological and emotional tolls on youth already at risk
• Undermine principles of rehabilitation central to the Youth Criminal Justice Act

In June, the office of Children, Community and Social Services Minister Michael Parsa declined Sudbury.com’s phone interview request. Also following provincial ministries’ common practice, they neglected to answer all of the questions sent to them by email correspondence.

Questions regarding the local costs related to young offender transportation compared to the cost of maintaining youth detention centres were left entirely unaddressed in their response.

Cecil Facer will remain open into 2027, they responded, which “will ensure time to transition youth to other facilities sites in consultation with Indigenous, justice, and community partners,” with no specific locations cited.

The ministry spokesperson also cited the Connected to Communities programs, “which helps mitigate financial barriers to visitation and provides video-calling capabilities to allow youth to connect with family, guardians, elders and positive mentors.”

For full article please refer to Sudbury.com   September 16, 2025

In Sudbury and elsewhere, it’s jail to homelessness and back again

Sudbury.com   Jenny Lamothe      Jenny Lamothe covers vulnerable and marginalized populations, as well as housing issues and the justice system for Sudbury.com. 

The so-called pipeline from jail to homelessness, as described in a new report by the John Howard Society, is having another effect in the City of Greater Sudbury. The lack of affordable housing has caused the pipeline to curve back on itself, sending people back to jail at a greater rate because they are homeless.

Incarceration is both a leading cause of and a result of homelessness, finds From Incarceration to Encampment, the first of a three-part Re/Thinking Justice series from the John Howard Society of Ontario.

Sara-Jane Berhammer of the John Howard Society of Sudbury has seen the pipeline first hand, and told Sudbury.com the report was a mirror of what is happening in the Nickel City.

As of July 31, there were 215 people residing in encampments across 48 Greater Sudbury locations, but it’s important to note that in that same month “37 per cent of individuals residing in encampments were represented on the By-Name List.”  When people are incarcerated, they lose their Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) payments, which for many means loss of housing.

But 80 per cent of those incarcerated in provincial correctional facilities like Sudbury District Jail are in remand custody, meaning they have not been convicted on any charge. The report also found that the majority of these people will be released without a conviction.

For Berghammer, It brought to mind several clients at the John Howard Society, and one in particular: a client who has housing but was arrested and denied bail. His income supplement is gone, and soon after, he’ll lose his housing; he has no idea how long he’ll be in custody, waiting for his matter to move through the courts.

And so his name goes back on the By-Name list, and through the Homelessness Network “we go back to doing an intake again and trying to find them housing again,” said Berghammer. “And it’s just around and around we go.”   …….

But even if housing were available ― and it often isn’t in Sudbury ― it may not be available to all. The report points out discrimination in the rental market, noting “many people with criminal records struggle to overcome the stigma of past involvement with the criminal justice system.”

“They’re asking for police record checks. They’re asking for a viewing fee to view an apartment, and who’s going to pay for that when you have no money? So it automatically precludes people from going to see a place.”

It’s also illegal, she said, “but it’s being done anyway.”

Berghammer said transitional housing for those who need it, such as the 40 beds now operating at Lorraine Street, is the best path forward for these clients.

“If we’re trying to prevent people from getting involved with the system, over and over and over, then transitional housing is the way to go,” she said. “When we provide service to our local jail here in Sudbury, and people request a jail visitation, the number one thing they want to talk about is pre-release planning.”

Sudbury.com also asked Berghammer about a recent data report from the CBC. The national media company filed an Freedom of Information Act request against Correctional Services of Canada, which netted them a full copy of what they requested, rather than the heavily redacted one they were later sent and asked to use.

CBC analyzed the earlier, unredacted version sent to them in error and found that the leading cause of death for inmates serving determinate sentences between January 2019 and February 2025 was suicide. Overdoses came a close second.

The data said 45 per cent of inmates who died by suicide on their timed sentence had already served more than three-quarters of it; 39 per cent had served more than half.

Other numbers from the data package allowed them to conclude that inmates with a so-called fixed release date — those who knew the exact day they would get out— were dying more frequently than those who were inside indefinitely, and they were dying close to their release date.

“Isn’t that interesting, very interesting, that people are dying just before the release? To me, it speaks to desperation, speaks to the uncertainty. These folks that are in these institutions, they don’t want to be in the situation that they’re in, but they can’t seem to get out,” she said.

“It’s our job to help them do better, and again, it goes right back to transitional housing, making certain there’s enough beds available to get people out and to help people along the way,” said Berghammer. “They’ve suffered enough, and we ultimately want people well and contributing to our community.” ………

“When people are chronically homeless, they really lose any kind of life skills they may have acquired,” said Berghammer, noting it can even be the simplest skills.

“They’re not thinking about doing laundry; they’re thinking about just changing their clothes. They come into our office all the time and say they want to change their clothes. We say, ‘do you realize you can do laundry?’ And they don’t,” she said.

Even if someone is as stable as they could be when they enter jail, that may not be the case on the way out, said Berghammer.

For full article please refer to Sudbury.com   September 2, 2025

United Way of North East Ontario

There are tremendous fundraisers planned for the UWNEO.  Please refer to our Events page for more information.

The Fire Truck pull was a resounding success.  Many thanks to the United Way for organizing this fundraiser for all of the community.

Sentenced to Unemployment: New report urges Ontario T0 End Discrimination Against those with Criminal Records

Christin Cullen CEO                        Safiyah Husein,  JHSO Director of Policy  

More than one million Ontarians carry a criminal record, and for many, it acts as a permanent barrier to employment – even decades after they’ve served their time. A new report from the John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO) reveals that Ontario continues to punish people long after they have served their sentence, with laws that make it legal to discriminate against people with criminal records and hiring practices that leave qualified job seekers locked out of the workplace.

“When people leave jail and cannot rejoin the workforce, it harms not only them and their families but also the province’s economy. It’s in the best interests of our entire society to get people back to work. Employment reduces reoffending rates, supports reintegration and promotes public safety,” said Christin Cullen, JHSO’s Chief Executive Officer. “The good news is there are straightforward, practical steps the province can take to ensure that a person’s worst moment does not sentence them to a lifetime of unemployment.”

The new JHSO report, Sentenced to Unemployment: The workforce exclusion of Ontarians with criminal records, draws on consultations with over 50 experts, including people with lived experience, employment service providers, lawyers, and policy professionals. It identifies four systemic issues that keep people with criminal records out of jobs: legalized discrimination, blanket record check hiring policies, internet searches that fuel stigma and underfunded specialized supports. The report offers concrete solutions to remove these barriers, including:

• Legislate fair hiring practices: Amend the Employment Standards Act to guide when and how record checks are used.
• Strengthen human rights protections: Update the Ontario Human Rights Code to prohibit discrimination based on a broader definition of “police record.”
• Explore a Canadian “Right to be Forgotten”: Limit the harm caused by outdated online information by creating a process by which people can have their past expunged.
• Invest in targeted employment programs: Address the specific needs of people with criminal records by investing in back-to-work supports, with a focus on Black and Indigenous communities.

“Across Ontario, we found widespread stigma and unfounded misconceptions about individuals with criminal records. This is impacting hiring decisions and leading organizations to steer clear of hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates with criminal records,” stated Safiyah Husein, Director of Policy at JHSO. “But a criminal record check is just a snapshot of a moment in a person’s history. It provides no context and no information about how a person got into that position or what they have done to rebuild their life. We have to do better, for these impacted individuals and for our economy as a whole.”

For full report please refer to:  www.johnhoward.on.ca            https://policerecordhub.ca/en/sentencedtounemployment  

Gaming with a cause: How Charitable Gaming funds Sudbury’s essential services

Delta Bingo and Gaming helps fund over 160 local organizations in Greater Sudbury.

Every time a player calls out “Bingo!” at Delta Bingo and Gaming Sudbury, local charities win big.

That’s the message Christina Nupponen is delivering across the community. As Charity Coordinator for Delta Bingo and Gaming in Sudbury and Val Caron, she works behind the scenes to help deliver consistent funding to more than 160 registered charities across Greater Sudbury.

“Our main mission is really to support local charities by providing them with sustainable sources of funding,” Nupponen said. “Through their partnership with Delta, we’ve helped hundreds of nonprofit organizations continue to do their work in the community through this reliable sort of fundraising opportunity.”

Last year alone, $3.5 million was raised for Sudbury-based charities through the charitable gaming program, with another $1.39 million going to groups in Val Caron. From breakfast programs to senior supports, the money is directed to vital community needs — and that’s part of the reason Nupponen calls it “gaming with a cause.”

“It’s a system that allows the community members to give back just by showing up and having fun,” she said. “A portion of the revenue that they spend in the centre goes directly to local charities.”

“It’s entertainment with a purpose, and every game helps give back to services like food banks and after school programs.”

Unlike traditional fundraisers or one-time donations, charitable gaming offers groups a consistent income stream. The groups submit a budget request, receive a schedule of volunteer shifts at the gaming centre, and know roughly how much funding they’ll receive.

“It’s not just a one-off,” she said. “It’s ongoing support tied directly to community participation.”

That participation is regulated through a partnership model involving the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), local municipalities, the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association (OCGA), and of course Delta Bingo & Gaming.

In Greater Sudbury, charities apply to the Charitable Gaming Association of Sudbury or Valley East before receiving municipal and provincial approvals.

Nupponen coordinates it all, acting as a point of contact between the organizations and regulators to ensure their compliance and full transparency.

“We try really hard to show that the centre’s not just about gambling, but it’s about giving back,” she said. “So if people want to have a fun night out at bingo, a portion of that money that they spend is going directly back to charities.”

And for Nupponen, the realization that Delta’s games are helping charitable groups — and the community thrive is what makes her work so rewarding.

Excerpt from article in Sudbury.com

Prisoner Justice Day Commemoration    August 8

The John Howard Society of Sudbury , many other agencies and community members commemorated  Prisoner Justice Day commemoration on Friday, August 8  on the front lawn of the Sudbury Jail.  Many thanks to all who attended and to the Ministry of the Solicitor General/Sudbury Jail for giving us the opportunity to use the front lawn of the Sudbury Jail.

Sara-Jane Berghammer, Chief Executive Officer of the John Howard Society of Sudbury states that, “it is absolutely astounding that these deaths continue to occur year after year. We have solutions to this problem and they are not being enacted” stated Berghammer. “We know that that violence within the walls of incarceration continues to be a major problem.”

The 2023 Ontario Coroner’s Report stated the need to transform the health care system in Ontario correctional facilities. In August, 2023, Berghammer stated that the Coroner’s report should not sit on a bookshelf and all recommendations from this report should be enacted.

“Yet in August 2025”, stated Berghammer, “no real progress has been made. How many more deaths need to occur ? Does anyone really care about those who have died and the trauma the families and loved ones of those in custody go through every day ?”

Pride season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place during the summer (June to September), where 2SLGBTQI+ communities and allies come together to highlight resilience, celebrate talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. While Pride events receive a significant amount of attention during the summer months, they take place throughout the year in many communities.

Historically, Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several Canadian cities, including Montréal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Toronto’s Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.

In Sudbury, Fierté Sudbury Pride has been active since 1997 and incorporated in 2012, Fierté Sudbury Pride (FSP) is a not for profit community based organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ population of the City of Greater Sudbury. We foster understanding and diversity by showcasing 2SLGBTQ+ culture at events such as art shows, festivals, and concerts. We aim to provide services free of stigma and discrimination for everyone, regardless of religion, creed, race, gender or sexual orientation.

There are many events scheduled for Sudbury, please consult our Events page for more details.  Happy Pride Season!

Champion of the Month

The City of Greater Sudbury has for many years, if not decades, supported people who were without accomodations and housing through a plethora of programs and projects.  Most recently, under the direction and support of Mayor Lefebvre and Ms. Gail Spencer, Manager of Housing Stability and Homelessness a transitional shelter for persons without permanent  accommodations was built and is now operational.  The City of Greater Sudbury supports the Homelessness Network of Sudbury of which John Howard Society is a part of.

Congratulations to Greater Sudbury for putting people first, especially the most vulnerable of our citizens.  You are our September Champion of the Month !

The John Howard Society believes in effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.  We are dedicated to creating genuinely safer communities by helping to foster a truly effective criminal justice system. The John Howard Society helps people reintegrate into society, thereby reducing alienation, crime and recidivism.

Our mission is resolute. We want to help to create a truly effective criminal justice system – one that serves us all, that confronts crime and its causes and that fosters safer communities.  In short, we help people turn away from a life of crime. Surely, that’s what we’d all like to see.

Practically speaking, we STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through the multitude of programs and services that we offer to the community.  You can help us to STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through your donation to the John Howard Society of Sudbury.  All funds raised are used to deliver our programs and services in the Sudbury and North Bay communities.   STOP Crime Now ! ^TM is a registered trademark of the John Howard Society of Sudbury.

We are proud to commemorate Prisoners Justice Day every year.  It is a day where we remember the violence within the walls of incarceration and the men and women who have died because of this violence while incarcerated.  In 2025 the commemoration will be on August 10 at 10:00 am on the grounds of the Sudbury Jail.  For more information please go to the Prisoners Justice Day page on our website.

(NEW!) The John Howard Society assists people with criminal records to apply for a record suspension, formerly known as a pardon.  It is a lengthy process and can take up to two years.  If you would like more information contact the John Howard Society as soon as possible.

Some of our funders include the following and we are truly appreciative of their support.  Given that the vast majority of Canadians claim to give to charities but just less than 25% of Canadians claim their charitable donations on their tax return, you may want to make sure you know the benefits!  Your donations are important !  Please remember us.

To easily calculate the tax savings for a donation of any amount, use https://www.canadahelps.org/taxtime/.

For information on how our programs and services can be accessed in French contact the John Howard Society of Sudbury at the references located on our contact page.  Those programs and services that are available in French are noted with an (F) in the title of each service or program.  The John Howard Society is an inclusive agency serving all people in our community.  We have posted the Pride progress Flag on our website as a symbol that everyone is welcome to enter our agency for service.

Vianet is a proud supporter of the John Howard Society and the great work that we do all across Ontario to provide effective, just, and humane responses to crime and its causes. Vianet supports and helps in creating safer communities and to STOP Crime Now!

Follow us on Instagram at johnhowardsudbury or #jhssudbury.

June is National Indigenous History Month.  For more information please go to our Events page.