Manitoba PC Leadership candidate Shelly Glover held a meet and greet in Dauphin Saturday, where she made a big announcement.
She stated that if she becomes Premier, one of the first things she will do is reopen the correctional centre in Dauphin.
Glover says she came to this decision because she’s worried about the lack of support and services for our rural communities.
“We are seeing agriculture centres close, Manitoba Hydro offices close, and other rural offices being impacted. That is very dangerous for our rural communities, and we need them to be sustained, we need to support them just as much as we need to support our large cities.”
Glover, who has experience in law enforcement, says it’s dangerous for guards and other staff at jails when they’re overcapacity.
“The stats speak for themselves. Over the last five years, we had an average of 369 inmates overcapacity. That included when we had the Dauphin jail. So by closing the Dauphin jail, we have now just put those extra bodies into, yet again, over-taxed systems located elsewhere. We need to better protect the guards and the inmates. We’re in COVID, the last thing you want to do in COVID is pile people who don’t know each other into rooms together.”
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba will choose its new leader, who will be Manitoba's first female Premier, on October 30th.
