Community pizza party happening next week

Non-perishable foods or cash donations for the soup kitchen will be accepted

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NEWS RELEASE
OPSEU LOCAL 601
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Correctional workers at (Algoma Remand Treatment Centre, Donald Doucet Youth Centre, Sault Ste. Marie Probation, Probation/Parole office) will be giving back to the community through Community Pizza Party on Jan. 8 as part of their Corrections Cares About Community Safety event.

Where: 136 Gore St., Sault Ste. Marie
When: Monday, Jan. 8 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Non-perishable foods or cash donations for the soup kitchen are being accepted.

The day was proposed by OPSEU’s correctional bargaining team, which is currently engaged in negotiations with the Ontario government. Bargaining team chair Chris Jackel said the team wanted to underscore corrections workers’ commitment to their respective communities.

“We work in volatile and violent workplaces,” said Jackel. “We find that giving back to the community is an effective means to cope with the daily stress we face. This outreach keeps us focused on the reason we do what we do every day.”

Ross Romano Conservative MPP; Terry Sheehan Liberal MP; Christian Provenzano, Mayor Sault Ste. Marie; and City Council members have been invited to attend today’s fundraising event. Corrections workers will also take the opportunity to raise awareness of the crisis that currently grips Ontario’s correctional system.

Jackel noted that correctional workers take a holistic approach to community safety and the critical role that Ontario’s correctional system plays in it.

“Our workplaces have become unsafe, and significant investment by the government is desperately needed to ensure the safety of staff, offenders and our communities,” Jackel said. “But this concern goes beyond just preventing escapes. It’s also about making substantial investments in rehabilitation programs and our mental health system. They’re essential means to fixing the crisis in corrections.”

Around 20 Corrections Cares About Community Safety events will take place. Please consult the listing to attend the event nearest you.

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