One prisoner in an Ontario prison had been asking for a fan since May. They wrote requests and spoke with the warden directly, but got no response.
During June’s record-breaking heat wave, they passed out in their living unit from the heat, and suffered a heat stroke.
The Grind spoke to the prisoner’s wife, who says they’re not the only one. She asked to remain anonymous, worried that using her real name would prevent her from visiting her spouse in prison.
She says prisoners aren’t cooking meals because it would make spaces even hotter, and because of it, they’re not getting proper nutrition. Conflict is erupting as prisoners are left irritated by the heat.
Incarcerated Voters of Ontario is a group that advocates for the human rights of incarcerated people, and is led by people with lived experience in Ontario’s prisons and jails. In June, the group asked its Instagram followers to call and email Canadian authorities, demanding cooling measures: fans, water, ice and ventilation; medical monitoring for heatstroke; and decarceration to address overcrowding.
Since June, high temperatures have continued to scorch Ontario. By the end of July, Toronto had spent more than half of the summer under heat warnings. That month the city’s hospitals saw heat-related visits to the ER more than double, compared to July of last year.
The Correctional Investigator of Canada, Dr. Ivan Zinger, who looks into complaints of unfair treatment of federal prisoners, confirms that heat waves are a serious problem in Ontario prisons. “We have received numerous complaints and have even sent investigators to visit penitentiaries with thermometers to get accurate temperature readings,” Zinger tells The Grind. “We continue to monitor and make similar recommendations” – water, fans, and ice – “to address the heat waves.”
The Correctional Service of Canada, which runs federal prisons, says it’s already offering those resources. (Provincial jails are run by the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General. The Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.)
In a statement to The Grind, CSC says it provides “Cold water, ice, and cool showers,” “Cooldown zones which are implemented within existing air-conditioned spaces,” and “Portable fans, which increase airflow.”
But the wife of the Ontario prisoner who suffered a heat stroke says that’s not true.
After The Grind shared CSC’s statement with her, she says, “I saw your response from CSC where they’re saying that they’re getting cold water and ice. That’s essentially just not happening.”
She says prisoners need to purchase their own fans through the institution’s catalogue for $27. Prisoners often can’t afford it. When they can, the fans are often out of stock, or orders go unfilled.
Cooldown zones have been established, but prisoners are seldom allowed in.
“Correctional officers will say, ‘Oh no, it’s only for the morning.’ Or the next officer will say, ‘Oh no, it’s only for the evening,’” the prisoner’s wife says. “There’s not consistency in how the cooling room can be utilized so folks aren’t able to actually utilize it properly.”
She emphasized the need for thermometers. She says that prisoners can’t advocate for themselves if they don’t even know the temperature.
“We have to recognize these people are in custody for years, sometimes for the majority of their life,” she adds. “And the reality is: they still deserve the same dignified outcomes and experiences that we have.”
