Toronto West Detention Centre
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| Location | 111 Disco Rd, Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 631 |
| Opened | 1970s |
| Managed by | Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services |
| Director | Superintendent Anthony Valaitis |
The Toronto West Detention Centre, often referred to as simply The West, is a maximum security remand facility located in Rexdale, a community located in the north-west corner of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility was known as the Metropolitan Toronto West Detention Centre until Rexdale, as part of the City of Etobicoke, became part of the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998.
With a designed capacity for 631 prisoners,[1] the Toronto West Detention Centre currently houses adult males who have been remanded into custody while awaiting trial or sentencing, are serving short sentences, or are awaiting transfer to federal or provincial correctional facilities.[2] Over the years the Toronto West Detention Centre has at times also housed female and juvenile offenders. From October 1997 through January 1999 the facility underwent extensive retrofitting of its security systems using up-to-date technology.[3] The facility has also housed foreign nationals being detained on security certificates.
In January 2008, staff at the prison staged a walk out in protest of three correctional officers being disciplined for failing to notice actions later seen on security cameras.[4]
[edit] Notable prisoners
- Karla Homolka, Canadian serial killer, co-accused with her then husband Paul Bernardo
- Abdullah Khadr, awaiting extradition, 2004-current.[5]
- Laurie Bembenek, also known as Bambi Bembenek.
- Karlheinz Schreiber, the German-Canadian businessman who is embroiled in a dispute with former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[6]
- Hassan Almrei, a Syrian national, who came to Canada in 1999 on a forged passport and is alleged to have been involved in an al Qaeda forgery ring.[7]
- Ernst Zundel, was held at Toronto West from 2003 until his 2005 deportation to Germany.
[edit] See also
List of correctional facilities in Ontario
[edit] References
- ^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services - Detention Centres
- ^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services - Facilities
- ^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services - Modernizing the System
- ^ Etobicoke Guardian, Etobicoke maximum security detention centre in lockdown after staff walk out, January 16 2008
- ^ Toronto Star, $500,000 paid for capture of Khadr, 13 May 2008
- ^ National Post, Karlheinz Schreiber free again on bail 17 April 2008
- ^ CTV Television Network, Canada criticized for Hassan Almrei detention, 06 November 2005
Coordinates: 43°41′58″N 79°35′53″W / 43.699408°N 79.597959°W
