Drew Wilby at a correctional centre opening earlier this year. Photo by Chelsea Laskowski
Up to 100 inmates at the Regina Correctional Centre are considering staging another hunger strike Thursday morning to protest the quality of the food.
Justice Ministry spokesman Drew Wilby says the ministry is aware of the concerns and has taken measures to deal with them, including meeting with the new food supplier.
At the moment, Wilby says there are no current issues.
“As of right now, all offenders at the Regina Correctional Centre are eating,” he said. “We are aware about some of the stuff that has come down about tomorrow (Thursday) but we are managing the situation right now and are hoping to avoid that from occurring tomorrow (Thursday).”
In November, a company called Compass Group took over food services at eight provincial facilities in the province. The meals are still prepared on site, but government workers are no longer providing the service.
Compass has a five-year contract with the government. It is expected to result in savings of about $2.4 million a year.