Parole Review Petition Nears 5,000 Signatures & Prepares for Parliament Review

First, I want to thank everyone who has signed the petition related to changing the automatic 2-year scheduling of parole review legislation.

Since it's a paper-based petition versus an online petition, the process has been lengthy. But we've now got close to 5,000 signatures! That must be the equivalent to 5,000,000 electronic signatures!

On top of that, and thanks to the lead by Heidi Illingworth at the Canadian Resource Centre for Victms of Crime, we've also got much needed political support thanks to Mr. Gord Brown, an MP in Leeds Grenville.

Mr. Brown will submit the petition to the House of Commons during National Victims of Crime Awareness, April 13-19, 2008. We are also calling on Mr. Brown to champion this cause even further by arranging meetings with Party Leaders and Ministers during Victims Week.

I'll keep you posted!

PS - not sure what petition I'm talking about? Essentially this petition is asking that current legislation be amended to permit hearings only every five years. If you wish to show your support by circulating or signing the petition, please go ahead and download the petition now. Remember you need to print it because only original signatures are required, electronic signatures are not valid.

Ralph Power Transferred to Warkworth Institution...

Just got word that Ralph Power has been transferred out of Bath Institution and into Warkworth Institution.

Warkworth is still a medium institution, but it's the largest Federal Correctional Institution in Canada with a population of approximately 580 inmates who are housed in five units. It is a male-only facility and generally one-third of the inmates are imprisoned for a sexually related offence. Birds of a feather flock together, as they say...Power will be in his element.

Anyhow, because of privacy rights, we have no idea what sparked the transfer? We don't know whether it was voluntary or involuntary? All we know is that he has been moved.

Frankly, I'm glad he is a little further away from the town of Gananoque - where Sheryl was born and buried. Bath Institution was just a little too close to home.

If I find out more, I'll be sure to post...