Questions and complaints remain after New Brunswick jail fire

Two days after a fire rendered a New Brunswick jail uninhabitable confusion and complaints have plagued the province’s criminal-justice system.

Robert McKee, a criminal defense attorney with the Moncton-based firm Fowler Law P.C. Inc. and Moncton city councillor, says that the fire at the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre (SRCC) has, in some cases, left him without the ability to contact his clients.

He’s still not sure where a few them are currently being held.

“It poses problems moving forward, in terms of meeting clients and preparing for cases,” McKee said.

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READ MORE: New Brunswick jail fire now out, offenders moved to another location

Several vans loaded with inmates were observed leaving the jail soon after the fire was contained. Due to smoke and water damage the repairs to the jail are expected to take months.

At the time of the fire there were 160 offenders in the SRCC.

While McKee says that there are a number of locations that prisoners could’ve been transferred to; including Miramichi, Saint John, Dalhousie or Madawaska, spokespeople for the province’s Department of Justice and Public Safety did not provide information on where inmates have been moved or how many have been moved to each location.

But with some clients being moved over four hours away, McKee says it’s making his job difficult, and his days longer, something he doesn’t think will last for much longer.

“I know that (New Brunswick’s Department of Justice and Public Safety) are working on the situation as diligently as possible and I’m confident that everything will work its way out, once the dust settles,” McKee said.

WATCH: Fire at jail in Shediac, N.B.

1:44 Fire at jail in Shediac, N.B.

Complaints

The province’s ombudsman, Charles Murray, told Global News in an interview on Wednesday that his office has received a number of complaints from both inmates and their families.

“The 160 people who were (at the SRCC) now have to go somewhere else,” he said. “So this is a significant disruption to the life inside all of the institutions.”

Murray says that many of the routines that prisoners are used to in the criminal justice system have now been changed, as a result his office has received a “more than usual” number of complaints from inmates.

There are some issues for Murray that are of particular concern; things like medication and security.

“Some programs won’t be available right away, and that’s understandable,” he said.

“They’ve implemented their contingency plan, but it’s still not easy.”

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READ MORE: Investigation of fire at New Brunswick jail continues, repairs could take months

Jordan decision comes into play

The recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that placed a ceiling of 18 or 30 months on legal cases means that if these delays persist, some of them could be dismissed due to not being tried within a reasonable time.

McKee says that the chance of the Jordan decision coming into play are unlikely but it’s something that is on his mind.

“I don’t necessarily see cases being thrown out because of it,” he said. “I’m hopeful that (the department of justice) will be able to resolve it as quickly as they can.”