The Vanier Centre for Women (french: Centre Vanier pour les femmes
) in
Milton, Ontario
Milton (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census population 110,128) is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing mun ...
is a medium and maximum
correctional facility
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...
for female offenders serving sentences of less than two years or who have been arrested and are
remanded in custody awaiting trial.
The institution has capacity for 333 inmates. Services for French-speaking people are offered at this facility.
As it is a maximum-security provincial jail, immigration detainees may be held at the Vanier Centre under the Canadian Border Services Agency.
The Vanier Centre is named after
Pauline Vanier
Pauline Vanier, PC, CC, DStJ (''née'' Archer; March 28, 1898 – March 23, 1991) was a Canadian humanitarian who was married to Georges Vanier. Her husband was one of Canada's first professional diplomats, Canada's first ambassador to France, ...
, a Canadian
humanitarian
Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...
and the wife of
Georges Vanier
Georges-Philias Vanier (23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer and diplomat who served as governor general of Canada, the first Quebecer and second Canadian-born person to hold the position.
Vanier was born and ...
, a former
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
.
History
The original prison, named the Vanier Institute for Women, was a CAD$4,000,000 facility in
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...
,
that had opened on January 29, 1969.
The Brampton location was used to house the Ontario Women's Guidance Centre, the Ontario Women's Treatment Centre, and those from the former
Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women
The Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women was a women's (16 years of age or older) prison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At various times, the facility was also known as the Mercer Complex, Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Females, and Andrew Mercer O ...
,
the latter residents moving into the new prison on April 4, 1969. The Brampton location was a cottage-prison design, which consisted of several 24-room cottages alongside its administration and activities buildings.
The current facility was renamed Vanier Centre for Women and opened in 2003 on the campus of the
Maplehurst Correctional Complex
Maplehurst Correctional Complex (french: Complexe Correctional de Maplehurst) is a correctional facility located in Milton, Ontario for women and men 18 years of age and older. It is a combined maximum security detention centre for remanded priso ...
.
Facilities and Services
In 2019, the provincial government announced an initiative create a 5-bed hospital unit for inmates with severe mental illness, and required intensive medical care for the Vanier Centre for Women.
Starting in 2022, the Maplehurst Correctional Complex and the Vanier Centre for Women will receive 15 correctional officers over a 5-year provincial plan to improve correctional facilities.
Officers hired completed virtual training at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.
Notable incidents
In 2005, the Vanier Centre for Women went under investigation after a woman was kept past her original release and denied medication, the latter which caused her to have multiple seizures during her stay. This incident follows shortly of another inmate's death at Vanier, whose incident from officials was described as "peaceful". Acquaintances differ from official reports, who said that the inmate was denied medication or medical attention. Later, a pathology report stated she had unattended seizures prior to her death.
In 2013, a woman began a hunger strike in protest of being placed within solitary confinement when she refused to wear a bra, which Vanier required in its dress code at the time.
Vanier altered its dress code after 10 days in confinement, and officially abolished its mandatory bra policy in April 2014.
In 2017, a 50-year-old woman died while at the Vanier Centre for Women after being detained by Canadian immigration officials.
An official coroner's report stated that the woman died of "acute methadone intoxication in the setting of ischemic heart disease", caused by Vanier's medical staff giving the woman three times the recommended dose.
Sexual abuse
In March 2005, a correctional officer was found to give contraband to inmates for sexual favours, and was charged with four counts of breach of trust with three counts of sexual assault.
In March 2021, a correctional officer was charged with two counts of sexual assault and breach of trust at the Vanier Centre for Women.
During investigation, officials report that both incidences were conducted on the same day.
See also
*
Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women
The Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women was a women's (16 years of age or older) prison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At various times, the facility was also known as the Mercer Complex, Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Females, and Andrew Mercer O ...
*
List of provincial correctional facilities in Ontario
This is a listing of past and present correctional facilities run by the provincial government in Ontario, Canada. Provincial correctional facilities for adults are operated by the province's Ministry of the Solicitor General. Youth facilities hav ...
References
{{coord, 43.524727, -79.899745, scale:10000, display=title
Buildings and structures in the Regional Municipality of Halton
Milton, Ontario
Prisons in Ontario
Women's prisons in Canada
Women in Ontario