Murder charges thrown out because of Ford’s overcrowded jails and understaffed courts

First-degree murder charges were just stayed in Ontario directly because of Doug Ford’s failure to deliver timely justice and jails that live up to basic human rights standards. The staying of charges will effectively collapse proceedings against the accused, adding to the list of serious criminal trials that have collapsed on Ford’s watch.

In a ruling that cited the collective punishment of over 200 prisoners at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in late 2023, the judge pointed to murder charges that would not be tried on their merits, resulting in the victims’ loved ones and community not receiving a proper trial based on the facts of the case.

Ontario New Democrats repeatedly called for a public inquiry into collective punishment at Maplehurst earlier this year but were ignored by Ford’s Solicitor General.

“The price of Ford’s failure has been made horrifically clear,” Shadow Solicitor General Jennie Stevens (St. Catharines) said. “He and Solicitor General Kerzner have done nothing to address staff-to-inmate ratios, chronic understaffing, and unsafe working conditions in Ontario’s jails. They’ve failed to invest in mental health supports for both corrections officers and inmates. Countless hours of work by law enforcement and the court system, along with taxpayer dollars, have now been wasted because incidents like Maplehurst keep being ignored.

“By hiding from transparency and accountability, Ford has allowed people charged with committing execution-style first-degree murder to walk free. They can join Ontarians watching the World Series thanks to his abject failure.”

“As unthinkable as today’s ruling is, every Ontarian should know that nothing is stopping this from happening again,” said Shadow Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre). “Ford is still refusing to commit to a basic public inquiry, or to invest in speeding up the courts and improving access to justice. The collective punishment of inmates at Maplehurst is a blaring alarm for how our correctional system is crumbling because of chronic under-investment in the safety of corrections officers and inmates.

"What's happening in our justice system is another reflection of Ford’s jobs disaster. By failing to make correctional facilities safe for workers, and to invest in the court staff needed to guarantee trials in Charter-required time frames, he is letting every Ontarian down.”

BACKGROUND:

• In 2023, guards at Maplehurst conducted a violent strip search of every inmate. Inmates were forced out of their cells, their hands were zip-tied, and inmates were forced to sit in their underwear for up to two days while exhaust fans blew cooler air on them.
• Over 30 criminal prosecutions in Ontario are known to have been compromised in some form as a direct consequence of the collective punishment of prisoners at Maplehurst.
• The Ontario Ombudsman is investigating the collective punishment of inmates at Maplehurst and the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s response to the incident.