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“[The union is] using the transfer of prisoners to the new jail facility as a bargaining chip, resulting in delays in the Toronto Jail being turned over to the Bridgepoint Hospital project for demolition,” said the source.

But Dan Sidworth, the chair of the correction division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), said the union is not the one holding up the transfer of prisoners.

He said the union was not included in the initial design of the Toronto South Detention Centre, and the facility needs to be fixed for health and safety reasons. Mr. Sidworth added that the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services pushed back the transfer of more than 500 inmates to Toronto South until after the union’s collective agreement bargaining period, which starts in September with a deadline of Dec. 31.

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“We don’t expect the jail to be operational for about anywhere between eight to 12 months…. We’ve been told by management at the senior level that the building has to be shored up,” Mr. Sidworth said.

Correctional Services staffers said via email no decision on the exact timing of inmate transfers had been made. After repeated requests for information, on Friday night the ministry directed all questions regarding union bargaining towards the Ministry of Government Services.

We’ve been told by management at the senior level that the building has to be shored up

The source said the demolition delay will add to the hospital project’s costs.

The ministry said in an emailed statement: “The Toronto Jail … will not close until the Toronto South Detention Centre is operational in 2013. The construction of TSDC is on budget and on time.”

Bridgepoint Hospital directed all questions to Infrastructure Ontario, a crown corporation which is managing the construction of both the hospital and the Toronto South Detention Centre.

Infrastructure Ontario did not respond to questions or requests for an interview, but sent a statement via

email: “Bridgepoint Hospital’s construction is progressing on time and on budget and it is expected doors will open to patients in spring 2013,” a spokesman said.

National Post

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