11 positions cut at North Slave Young Offender Facility

The Northwest Territories government plans to save $1.1 million by cutting 11 positions at the North Slave Young Offender Facility in Yellowknife and merging it with the North Slave Correctional Centre.

The centre will now be called the North Slave Correctional Complex. The adult jail and young offender facilitywere already connected by a corridor, and shared a gym.

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Finance Minister Robert C. McLeod announced the restructuring when he tabled the territorial budget in the legislative assembly on Wednesday.

Director of Corrections Robert Riches said the Young Offender Facility had 23 correctional officer positions, butaveraged only three youngoffenders in the facility.

"It made sense for us to look at how it operates," Riches said.

"We have a complex that's built for 25 (young offenders), staffed for its full capacity, but operating at a low number of three or four, sometimes down to two young offenders."

Riches saidyoung offenders will continue to be housed separately from adults.

No layoffs

Riches also said the timing of the restructuring couldn't be better. He said three positions were already vacant at the young offender facility, and the adult jail also had vacancies.

"No one is losing a job," Riches said.

"Twelveof the officers will remain with youth and eight will be part of the complex staff and work with adults."

The two warden positions will be merged.

Saving on overtime

Riches is hopeful the restructuring will reduce theamount of overtime incurred at the adult side of the complex.

In 2015, an auditor general report found the adult jail spent $1.5 million on overtime in the 2013-14 fiscal year out of an operational budget of $14 million.

"Overtime is always a concern...because it's not budgeted," Riches said.

"Our aim is to reduce it."

Riches said with vacancies filled and some correctional officers trained to work on both sides of the complex, administration will have a larger pool of officers from which to draw, and thatshould reduce overtime.

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