162 Shediac inmates moved to Miramichi, Saint John and other jails after fire

More than 160 prisonersfrom theShediacjailwere spread across the province during the night after a fire caused extensive damage to the five-year-old building.

Prisoners were moved to provincial jails at Dalhousie, Miramichi and Saint John, saidMichael Davidson, the CUPEnational representative.

The Southeast Regional Correctional Centrein Shediachoused 162 prisoners at the time of the fire, including men who've beencharged but not convicted of anything, Davidson said.

No prisoners or staff were injured in the fire, which broke out at 3 p.m. Wednesday and was under control a few hours later.

The prisoners were moved with help from local police and other employees of the Department of Justice and Public Safety,Genevive Mallet-Chiasson, communications officer with theDepartment of Justice and Public Safetysaid.

She would not say where they were taken, citing security concerns.

Difficult fire to fight

Shediacfire Chief Julien Boudreausaidfire and waterdamage was so extensive, he expects it will be quite a while before the jail can reopen.

"The best I could tell you right now is it's going to be months," Boudreau said Thursday morning.

Between 30 and 40 firefighters responded to the call shortly before 3 p.m., and the fire was under control quickly, he said Thursday. No one was injured.

Boudreausaid fighting a fire in a jail was difficult, given all of the locked doors, and staff had to help the firefighters get through.

"It's a secure buildingand it created some challenges we had a combination of people with us and we were breaking through windows and doors but it was challenging."

Boudreau said the fire hit two levels of the building with administrative offices andair-handling units, but"not an occupied area of the prison."

• Shediac jail inmates to be moved after fire

The fire department responded to another call at the Shediacjail at about 4 a.m.Thursday but Boudreau said it turned out to be an overheated motor.

"Right now, it's under control and the investigation has begun," he said.

He said the New BrunswickFire Marshal's Officeis leading the investigation.

Havoc on justice system

The Shediacjail housed different types of offenders, saidDavidson.

"People on remand where the court rules they cannot be in society, those who are remanded waiting for trial, and waiting to see if they are convicted or not," he said.

Other inmates have serving sentences of two years less a day, intermittent sentences, including people serving sentences on weekends.

Laywer Gilles Lemieux said the relocation of prisoners has created havoc in the justice system.

"Anybody that's in remand or was in remand in Shediac is somewhere in the province in the system, but where I don't know, so how am I going to track down my clients?" he said. "I'm not sure. Will they be able to call me ... are they housed, wherever they are they house permanently, until this problem is resolved? Or are they going to be moved?

'I don't know what they're going todo, if they're going to be sent home on house arrest or they're going to be told to report somewhere else. And where would that be?"- Gilles Lemieux, lawyer

"So, yeah it's a problem it's a serious problem."

He said people servingweekend sentences arenow wondering what to do.

"Someone who is ordered to attend the Shediac jail on aFridaynight and serve a weekend for minor offences or the more minor offences if you will, are probably going to attend thereon Friday," he said.

"I don't know what they're going to do, if they're going to be sent home on house arrest or they're going to be told to report somewhere else. And where would that be?"

He said it's unclear when the situation will be resolved.

The Southeast Regional Correctional Centre opened in 2012. Justice and Public Safety Minister Denis Landrysaid it was too early to say how much it will cost to repair the damage.