The union representing Manitoba government employees says a new survey of correctional workers has revealed “alarming levels” of staffing shortages and inmate overcrowding in provincial jails, an issue it asserts has worsened under Premier Wab Kinew.
In an interview Friday, Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, said staffing at jails has remained largely unchanged over the past few years, even though inmate populations have surged. He described the situation as a crisis that is causing increased violence.
“The staff that we have in jails are burning out because they’re being asked to work overtime all the time,” Mr. Ross said. “This workforce is just simply not at a level that can support the number of incarcerated people in our system, and it’s only going to get worse with further bail-reform legislation.”
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Across Canada, overcrowding has long been an issue in jails, but data from provincial and federal authorities have suggested that the problem is particularly acute in Northern Ontario and Manitoba.
In those jurisdictions, inquests into the deaths of inmates have also consistently highlighted chronic overcrowding as a significant concern. Often, there are more inmates than there are available beds, causing routine double-bunking and volatile, dangerous conditions.
In Manitoba, the incarcerated population is mostly driven by a high number of inmates held in remand custody, meaning they haven’t been convicted of a crime but also haven’t been released on bail. These inmates are held as their cases go through lengthy pre-trial procedures in the courts.
Provincial government data from last year suggests there were at least 2,582 adult inmates being held in Manitoba jails, well above the capacity of 1,924 for those facilities. Incarcerated youth, meanwhile, represented 136 inmates in 2025, which was just under the capacity of 150.
In the last year, both federal and provincial governments have been working together to implement legislation for stricter bail conditions in Canada. Much of those Criminal Code changes aim to make bail harder to obtain, especially for repeat and violent offenders. In effect, the new laws would increase the number of people in jail.
Mr. Ross said correctional staff – nearly 1,700 of whom his union represents at Manitoba’s seven facilities – are already struggling to keep up with the pace of incarceration. “Any more inmates added would make it even more dire,” he said.
Many workers have left their jobs and the province “has not solidified a robust recruitment or retention plan,” he added.
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Last month, the union conducted a survey of staff on a variety of issues related to correctional work.
An e-mail survey was completed by 469 correctional staff, which was “a representative sample,” according to Mr. Ross. It found that 77 per cent of participants believe overcrowding has gotten “a lot worse” in Manitoba facilities in the last two years. The survey also showed that 88.6 per cent of respondents said overcrowding significantly or severely contributed to unsafe situations, and 79.2 per cent said overcrowding has caused fights and violence.
Participants also reported worries about morale and mental-health distress, with 60.1 per cent saying “yes” to a question about whether they have considered quitting.
Manitoba Justice Minister and Attorney-General Matt Wiebe said he takes the survey results seriously. “It’s not about the numbers, it’s about how people feel,” he told reporters in his office at the legislative building Friday. “It’s about the stresses that they’ve been under over years and years.”
Still, he defended bail-reform initiatives: “The capacity within our system is never going to dictate the accountability that we need to show people who are out on our streets causing chaos and disrupting communities.”
Mr. Wiebe said the Kinew government plans to provide $14-million to the provincial corrections department in its next budget, set to be tabled on Tuesday.
He declined to provide specific details about the funding until the budget is made public, but said a portion will be allocated for a new stipend for prospective corrections staff during training, which he believes will help with recruitment efforts.
“We’re doing everything we can to attract more folks to the good work and important work of corrections,” he said, adding Manitoba has hired at least 150 corrections workers since his NDP government took office in late 2023.
However, Mr. Wiebe blamed the former Progressive Conservative government for closing jails and shrinking Manitoba’s capacity for inmates, which he said led to their overcrowding.
“We’re building that capacity back,” he said, referring to Mr. Kinew’s election pledge to reopen a facility in Dauphin, Man., which held around 68 inmates before it was closed in 2020. “But we’re digging out of a hole that was left by the previous government.”
The Dauphin jail, about 325 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, is expected to “have shovels in the ground” this fall, Mr. Wiebe said.
But Mr. Ross told The Globe he’s not sure Mr. Kinew’s government understands the immediacy of the situation.
“I can tell you what’s different with this government is that they’ll actually agree to have meetings with us,” he said. “But we need to see a real plan from them. We need to see concrete steps now that aren’t just long-term.”