The provincial government is being taken to task for closing 26 youth justice centres across the province.
NDP critic Suze Morrison says a number of agencies have spoken out against the closures.
“The provincial Child and Youth Advocate also said the way in which these young people were treated like pieces of furniture, with no rights, with no sense that have already been through trauma, without their families knowing where they are going, to do that in that way is unconscionable,” laments Morrison.
But Minister of Children, Community and Social Services says they are closing the youth justice facilities because they are no longer needed.
“As a result of the youth justice facilities being under-utilized and there were five them that had zero kids in them, there were 13 that had one child in them last year, this is really, really important and it shows the success we’re having in keeping families together,” explains Smith.
He adds they are closing the justice centres because they are no longer needed as a result of a change in education and prevention programs.
Smith says the government can save as much as 40 million dollars a year by closing the facilities.
