News Releases

Prairies Region

News Release

Communiqué

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINNIPEG, MB, March 7, 2006 - The 2006 Correctional Service of Canada Prairie Region Institutional Search Coordinator / Dog Handler Conference will be held in Winnipeg from March 7 to 9, 2006. Nine CSC Detector Dog Teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba will be in attendance at the event which combines workshops, roundtable discussions, and practical training exercises. In addition to the Detector Dog Teams there will be subject experts from both the CSC and our partners in the criminal justice system, as well as CSC dignitaries.

This is the third year for the conference, and the first time it has been held in Manitoba. The conference is an opportunity for the Detector Dog Teams to come together and train, as well as to have justice stakeholders in the Detector Dog program to examine challenges, developments and triumphs in the program. This year's host teams are Detector Dog Teams from Stony Mountain and Rockwood Institutions. To their credit, since 2001, these teams have been responsible for the seizure of contraband drugs with an estimated institutional value of over $100,000 and over 60 items of drug paraphernalia.

Wednesday, March 8^th will see the dog handlers participating in a "Detector Dog Trial" on the grounds of Stony Mountain and Rockwood Institutions. A trial is a friendly competition where the teams perform practical search exercises under the scrutiny and guidance of other handlers. Teams are scored and provided feedback on their overall performances. Wednesday's Trial will be overseen by the Manitoba Police Canine Association, which consists of handlers from various law enforcement agencies, including the Winnipeg Police Service, Manitoba Justice and the Canada Border Services Agency. The event is an opportunity for the dogs and their handlers to both have fun and gain valuable feedback.

While the workshops and roundtable events on March 7 and March 9 are private events, the Media are welcome to attend the training scenarios on March 8. The event runs from 08:30 to 11:30 AM and again from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Media will be able to observe teams as they participate in the search scenarios as well as have the opportunity to interview team and program coordinators.

CSC's drug strategy involves interdiction to prevent drugs from entering institutions, search and seizure to remove any drugs that have entered and treatment for addictions and substance abuse programs to curb demand. Detecting individuals who attempt to smuggle drugs in to institutions is a challenging task and we rely on staff professionalism and attentiveness in combination with state-of-the-art detections equipment and techniques.

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For more information, media representatives may contact:

L. Garwood-Filbert
Media Relations
Stony Mountain Institution
Correctional Service of Canada
(204) 344-5111 ext. 5120