Ontario Community Newspapers

"Planner spends Christmas in jail", p. 1

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Planner spends Christmas in jail by Lynda Powless - Editor A Six Nations planner will not be released to the care and control of his community after a Corrections Canada official questioned "the integrity of the community and this council to carry out the plan." Six Nations band council was told last Tuesday. Tuesday MacDonald, director of social services said the plan for the transfer of Sam Hill to the "care and control" of the community had been established by Corrections Canada lawyers and the social services department. "Now they're questioning your integrity. Your ability to carry this out," she told council. "This needs political input now." Hill could have been the first aboriginal inmate to be transferred to the care and control of his community. Section 81 allows for aboriginal inmates to be transferred to their communities to serve their sentences. MacDonald told council the section could apply to any aboriginal inmate who meets the necessary qualifications to participate in the transfer. "Everyone, all along, the psychiatrists, Corrections Canada's own lawyers, everyone involved has said Sam is the perfect test case for this program...but if they won't apply the program to Sam, who is suppose to be a perfect case, what about the next person who may not have such a perfect case. This could affect anyone in prison who may be eligible." MacDonald urged council to support not only Section 81, but to extend Hill's leave of absence, without pay, as a show of support for Section 81. Hill was granted a six month leave of absence that runs out tonight. Council voted last month not to renew the leave. Councillor Dave Green, said while he "had nothing against Mr. Hill. I gotta vote against this. Are we going to do this for everybody or just Mr. Hill. People are asking me why we're doing this for him." MacDonald told him, anyone who qualified could be eligible for the program. "But someone has to be first," she said. She told council, "this isn't just something you are doing for Mr. Hill. This applies to the whole (Continued on page 2)

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