January 19 – 25, 2014 CAC Awareness Week in Canada

January 19 – 25, 2014 CAC Awareness Week in Canada

CAC Groups are working along with Canada’s Corrections Service (CSC) this week.  They are presenting their volunteer work in all Regions of our Country. The goal is that both CSC and the Public would know better what the CAC Groups can do.

Do you know what a CAC volunteer does?  CAC?  That is short for “Citizens Advisory Committee” (CAC). They are working within our Canadian Prisons and Canadian Communities to help keep our Communities safe.

The following list is what takes place this year and this week - all across Canada.

National Headquarters

Launching CAC Awareness Week with a Cake and Coffee event. Commissioner Don Head will host members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) at an interactive meeting to discuss the contributions CACs deliver on a daily basis. (National Headquarters, January 20)

Pacific Region

• ·         Holding an Honouring Ceremony in the Long House for CAC members. (Kwìkwèxwelhp Healing Village, January 17)
• ·         Holding a potluck with CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz with staff. (Metro Vancouver East PO, January 24)
• ·         CAC chairperson providing information on the CAC to the mayor via a letter and invitation to visit site. (Prince George Parole Office)
• ·         Setting up information table at local university and local library (Nanaimo Parole Office)
• ·         Promoting CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz for staff. (Various sites) 
• ·         Having announcement about CAC Awareness Week at general staff meeting and CAC introductions. (Kent Institution, Pacific Institution, Fraser Valley Institution)  

Prairies Region

• ·         Holding a facilitated teleconference discussion for all Prairie Region CAC members associated with parole offices. (Regional Headquarters [RHQ], January 22)
• ·         Including the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz at all managers’ meetings. (Edmonton Institution for Women, January 7)
• ·         Discussing the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz to staff in the Parole Board Canada boardroom. (Edmonton Institution for Women, January 20) 
• ·         Posting Commissioner Don Head’s letter recognizing the contributions of CACs on the communication board for all staff to view and discussing CAC Awareness Week at daily briefings. (Edmonton Institution for Women, January 20)
• ·         Highlighting CAC Awareness Week on the EIFW InfoNet including attachments to resource materials. (EIFW, January 20)
• ·         Displaying the CAC info sheet through the institution’s information televisions. (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Pen Max/Med/Min and Prince Albert Parole including La Ronge Parole)
• ·         Posting notice for CAC Awareness Week and a link to the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz on the Saskatchewan Penitentiary InfoNet homepage. (Prince Albert)
• ·         Inviting CAC members to attend the Saskatchewan Penitentiary senior management meeting for introductions to senior managers and general discussion. (Prince Albert)
• ·         Inviting CAC members to meet with the Inmate Welfare Committees at all three security levels. (Prince Albert)
• ·         Holding a CAC meeting during the week to talk about their work and answer any questions. (Stony Mountain/Rockwood Institution)
• ·         Setting up a CAC table with the information sheet and providing the opportunity to interact with and engage staff. (Stony Mountain/Rockwood Institution)
• ·         Presenting the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz. (Stony Mountain/Rockwood Institution)
• ·         Highlighting CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz at staff assembly. Summarizing the organization in routine orders at the Regional Psychiatric Centre (RPC) for the week. (RPC/Saskatoon Parole, January 16)
• ·         Publishing a photo and a bio of each CAC member in the upcoming routine orders. (Regional Psychiatric Centre/Saskatoon Parole, January 16)
• ·         Sharing CAC Awareness Week resources with members and staff. (Medicine Hat/Lethbridge/Calgary Parole)
• ·         Announcing CAC Awareness Week at morning briefing and recognizing the valuable role that CACs serve for CSC. (Pe Sâkâstêw Healing Centre)
• ·         Announcing CAC Awareness Week, including trivia questions about the local CAC. (Pe Sâkâstêw Healing Centre)
• ·         Visiting site with CAC members to meet with staff and the inmates. (Pe Sâkâstêw Healing Centre, January 21)
• ·         Providing resource tools to staff, with a committee focus on recruitment. (Edmonton Parole)
• ·         Conducting monthly CAC meeting. (Grand Cache Institution, January 21)
• ·         Conducting tours of the Grande Cache Institution, with various community leaders and organizations. (Grand Cache Institution, January 21)
• ·         Sending the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz to staff (Grand Cache Institution, January 20)
• ·         Holding CAC Awareness Week Luncheon Kick-Off activity. CAC/CSC partnership with Town of Drumheller profiled in submission for Let's Talk Express. (Drumheller Institution)
• ·         Featuring the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz to staff at meeting. (Regina Parole/Oskana Centre)
• ·         Presentations to correctional officers during daily briefings throughout the week. (Edmonton Institution)

Ontario Region

• ·         Sending a message from Regional Deputy Commissioner to all staff re: CAC Awareness Week. (January 19)
• ·         Regional CAC coordinator hosting an Info Sharing Session with RHQ staff, regional chair and vice-chair to attend, Chit Chat Cafe - brown bag lunch (January 24)
• ·         Hosting Open House. (Peterborough Parole, January 23)
• ·         Info Sharing Sessions with offenders on CAC, CAC members will provide offenders with an overview during scheduled class session periods. (Collins Bay/Frontenac Institutions)
• ·         Planning senior management walkabout institution with CAC members to connect with staff, coffee and cake available in three buildings.
• ·         Holding staff assembly planned in near future. (Warkworth Institution, January 21)
• ·         Posting on social media: CAC Facebook, Twitter, Blog. (By regional CAC chair , January 17-25) Ontario Regional Ethnocultural Committee and other CAC members encouraged to post as well.
• ·         Held an Open House in November 2013 (Keele); holding event with staff and CAC to introduce new members, sharing letter from the Commissioner, including the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz. (Keele CCC, January 20 and 27)
• ·         Discussing the CAC Awareness Week presentation and quiz to staff, testimonials from CAC members – why CAC is important to them. (Toronto East Parole Office, January 23)
• ·         Connecting with CSC staff. (Ottawa Parole Office)
• ·         Sent a letter to local paper highlighting local CAC by CAC chair (Fenbrook/Beaver Creek, January 23)
• ·         Hosting supper for CAC members compliments of Area Director at Sudbury Parole, CAC presentation and quiz, Teleconference with Greater Ontario and Nunavut District partners (Chair, January 23)

Québec Region

• ·         Sending email to chairs of the CACs to thank them for their engagement. (Regional Headquarters [RHQ], January 20)
• ·         Sending email to employees with information on regional activities through CAC. (RHQ)
• ·         Publishing an article on InfoNet announcing the recipients of recognition certificates and presenting regional committee members. (RHQ, January 24)
• ·         Holding meetings with partner groups and regional CAC chair. (RHQ, January 24)
• ·         Sending the CAC fact sheet to employees on the roles of CAC members. (Port-Cartier)
• ·         Sent CAC quiz to staff and sending follow-up material. Planning for the Director of Interventions to attend a dinner with the CAC members to discuss shared issues. (l’Établissement Joliette and other sites)

Atlantic Region

• ·         Publishing an article in This & That/De ci, De ça on CAC Awareness Week with comments from RDC and CAC regional chair, and announcing the new inter-provincial CAC for New Brunswick—Prince Edward Island and provincial CAC for Nova Scotia.
• ·         Hosting a lunch and learn. (Nova Institution)
• ·         Spending a day shadowing the Warden and raising awareness about the CAC at the institution (Westmorland Institution)
• ·         Creating a poster to recognize CAC members. Distributing CAC brochures to networks, parole offices, CRFs, CACs, etc. Informing employees, friends, and family members on the role of CACs. Inviting CAC members to meeting

CAC Awareness Week - January 19 – 25, 2014 will be a Big Week

CAC Awareness Week - January 19 – 25, 2014 will be a Big Week

By Murray Lincoln

January 19 – 25, 2014 will be a Big Week for some “quiet people” across Canada. Most are people that want to help other folk in the community rather than make a big noise about what they do.

Who are these quiet people? What do they do?

These people are volunteers that have answered a call to help keep their community safe.  Safe? Yes – safe.

The volunteers are part of the Citizens Advisory Committee – CAC that works along with the Correctional Service Canada – CSC.

I am a CAC volunteer working in the community and have been for the past 15 years. 

The CAC folk meet at two different locations across generally. One location could be inside of a Federal Prison or inside the Federal Parole Office situated in the communities across Canada.

These volunteers are there to do the following all important tasks. They Observe, Advise and Liaise.  This happens with CSC Employees and the offenders in prison – or in the case of the community the CSC Employees (Parole Office Staff) and the folk on Parole living within the community.

If there is some kind of disturbance within the prison a CAC volunteer is called in to do these three very important roles.

If there is a problem with an ex-offender in the community the CAC volunteers are in contact with the Parole Officers and Management to Observe, Advise and Liaise how the situation was handle by staff.

Most importantly the CAC Volunteers are an important link with each of their communities.  They are encouraged to make the community aware of what the CSC staff and organization does to protect the community as a whole.  Through community forums and engagements of different kinds accurate and relevant information is shared with the community that they live in.

Each CAC is trained and has become aware of what they can and cannot say in their community.

Often times because of community and media concerns, with more high profile ex-offenders, “community fright” is generated.  This in turn can possibly turn into real fear that should not really be happening.  But fear sells in and also hurts the community where it happens.

Without a doubt I can say that CSC in Canada has one of the highest standards when dealing with all of its offenders – inside of prison or outside in the community.  Their goal is help keep the community inside or outside safe in every way.  The CAC volunteers believe in this and join in the task helping the community to see that is possible… in spite of the fear being generated!

CAC Awareness Week will be held the week of January 19-25, 2014 and the theme will be ‘Getting to Know Us’.

Suppose you are a CAC Member. If you ask someone in the community if they know what a CAC member does or what CAC is all about... do you think they would know?


There are close to 600 citizens that participate in 106 Citizen Advisory Committees across Canada. Members represent various social, cultural, and demographic backgrounds and occupations, and usually live close to the facility that the committee serves. Members are volunteers who are appointed for a period of three years, by the director, warden or parole representative of the CSC.


CSC Commissioner Don Head states that, “…as informed participants in the correctional process, you are charged with not only representing the views of the communities in which we operate, but also in representing CSC’s mandate and values to the community. By actively engaging community support, you help bridge the gap between offenders in correctional facilities and the community.”

So this year when a CAC volunteer in your community invites you to a special function, accept and come along.  You will meet some amazing people and witness some amazing programs that are in place to keep us all safe.

Almost a “Life Sentence” – 15 years and still in

Almost a “Life Sentence” – 15 years and still in

 By Murray Lincoln, CAC Chair for the Ontario Region

CAC Ontario Chair and proud member of the Peterborough CAC

Fifteen years ago my friend Dan called to ask if I could accompany him to the local parole office to talk about a guy coming out of federal prison. The man in question was old, in a wheel chair, and had a major attitude problem.  There was no place for him to live and no available resources to help him.

We soon me Ted and Pat, and the parole supervisor at the office. We discussed the problems that “Stan” was facing as he came out of prison.  Stan tended to drive people away. He was a senior citizen with a criminal record revolving around his anger issues, which had given him quite a few years in prison. We also shared the different things that each of us brought to the table in terms of our abilities, training, and interests.

The PO supervisor suggested that we form a Citizen Advisory Committee to better help this ex-con.  So we formed the first CAC in Peterborough.  That was the beginning of our “observing, advising and liaising” – the main work of CAC members.

None of us original four members had any idea what the CAC was about. We only knew that our talents and abilities might help keep our community safe.  We had never heard the letters “CAC” before – probably like most people in Canada.

It all happened because of Stan’s bad attitude and the passion of each member of the newly formed CAC to help keep the community safe.  Finding housing and support for Stan was vital to keeping our streets safe.

We were initially able to find Stan a temporary room at a senior’s home. But when management found out who was sleeping in one of their beds, they demanded he be picked up immediately. Having an ex-con next door to someone’s dear old mother was not a sellable feature for the home’s brochure.

In the end, the parole office helped arrange a part-time place for Stan to stay – a motel with very large doors for his wheel chair. 

Like other CACs across Canada, ours has creatively sought out ways, designed opportunities, and carried out community engagements, training sessions, symposiums, and contacts in Peterborough and the surrounding areas to help bridge the gap between offenders in correctional facilities and the community.

There are close to 600 citizens that participate in 106 Citizen Advisory Committees across Canada. Members represent various social, cultural, and demographic backgrounds and occupations, and usually live close to the facility that the committee serves. Members are volunteers who are appointed for a period of two years, by the director, warden or parole representative of the CSC.

Commissioner Don Head states that, “…as informed participants in the correctional process, you are charged with not only representing the views of the communities in which we operate, but also in representing CSC’s mandate and values to the community. By actively engaging community support, you help bridge the gap between offenders in correctional facilities and the community.”

A lot has happened since we began this adventure together. Our community has been impacted by meeting and helping offenders with various criminogenic profiles and from hearing victims discuss their fears and concerns, even years after the crime.

Today Ted Boynton is the new Chair of our Peterborough CAC. Dan and Pat have moved to other organizations helping men and women coming out of the federal system.

Stan passed away in the community, as have a number of other former inmates. We provided the funeral service for him as we have for a number of others that have come to us from prison, but that is another story for another time.

I enjoy the work I do with the CAC.  I love connecting with the CSC staff and offering support for the tasks they do.  Our “observing, advising, and liaising” is vital for the community.  I’m in it for life.