Honouring our fallen officers

Photo: Henry Traill, Glenbow Museum Archives, Calgary. na-1010-32

Henry Traill

Guard, Kingston Penitentiary
July 7, 1870

Within a year of joining the staff of Kingston Penitentiary, Guard Henry Traill was attacked and killed during an escape attempt. He had been supervising two inmates on the outer penitentiary reserve. The inmates were keeping the fires burning in the lime kiln during the lunch hour, while the rest of the quarry gang was marched back to the penitentiary for their noon-time meal.

Reports say that, on this fatal day, Traill was sitting on a wheelbarrow just inside the door of the lime-house with his rifle across his lap. Once the quarry gang was out of sight, inmate John Smith distracted the officer by showing him some small bones that he had carved into ornaments. At that moment, another inmate, Daniel Mann, approached the officer from behind and clubbed him over the head with an ironwood sleigh stake, severing his carotid artery in the process. Not realizing that they had killed the officer, the two inmates bound Traill, placed a rolled up coat under his head, stole his firearm and uniform tunic, and escaped.

After an 11-day manhunt, they were caught by a group of farmers while hiding in a swampy part of Graham Lake north of Brockville. Smith got an additional 14 years and Mann was hanged on Dec. 14, 1870, at the Frontenac County Gaol in Kingston.

Photo: David Cunningham, Canada's Penitentiary Museum, (detail from K.P. staff group photo 1890)

David Cunningham

Mason Instructor, Kingston Penitentiary
December 5, 1890

Mason Instructor David Cunningham was killed in an accident during a reconstruction project at Kingston Penitentiary. At the time, the former east industrial shop (now building B-11) was in the process of changing to a segregated cell-block, referred to as the "Prison of Isolation." High up on the third floor of the structure, an inmate had just unloaded a wheelbarrow full of bricks. As he did so, a plank on the scaffold sprang, causing a fatal chain-reaction. When the board shifted, the wheelbarrow counter-balanced and struck the edge of the scaffolding causing the inmate to lose his grip. It then dropped through a hatch in the scaffolding and crashed directly onto Mr. Cunningham who was supervising the laying of a window sill on the ground floor. The impact fractured Cunningham's skull, rendering him unconscious. He died two hours later in the prison hospital.

The inmate who dropped the wheelbarrow was found not guilty; the incident was considered an industrial accident.

Photo: Richard Henry Stedman, City of Edmonton Archives A96-176

Richard Henry Stedman

Deputy Warden, Alberta Penitentiary
April 15, 1909

While making his routine rounds of the institution, Deputy Warden Henry Stedman stopped in the carpentry shop to speak to Instructor Pope about a job he was working on. At this time, an inmate sentenced to life named Gary R. Barrett approached the Deputy Warden from behind and struck him a fatal blow in the head with a hatchet. The Deputy maintained consciousness long enough to note the time, and to ask for the Warden, and finally his wife, who was employed as Matron at the facility, before dying. Deputy Warden and Matron Stedman had lived in the penitentiary.

Apparently, the inmate held a grudge against the Deputy, claiming that he was barring him from seeing the penitentiary physician. In fact, being a competent officer, each time that Barrett had voiced his request, Deputy Warden Stedman had told him to submit his name to the "sick list" as per the rules. Barrett wrongly took this as "personal mistreatment."

Barrett was sentenced to death for this brutal murder and was hanged within the Alberta Penitentiary compound on July 14, 1909. This was the first of only two capital executions to be carried out within a federal penitentiary in Canada. The other was in connection with the Joynson case at the British Columbia Penitentiary in 1913. Capital executions were usually carried out within provincial facilities in Canada.

Photo: John Henry Joynson, Tony Martin Collection, Abbotsford, B.C.

John Henry Joynson

Guard, British Columbia Penitentiary
October 5, 1912

Guard John Henry Joynson was shot while coming to the rescue of coworkers who had been taken hostage during an escape attempt by two inmates: Joseph Smith and H. Wilson. The inmates had managed to overpower four officers in the prison brickyard and had taken their weapons. Guard Joynson was the first to come to their aid, and fired two shots without effect before being shot twice by one of the inmates.

The shooter, Joseph Smith, was hanged for this murder in the same prison yard at 8:30 a.m. on January 31, 1913. This was the penitentiary's only execution, and one of only two capital executions carried out within a federal penitentiary in Canada. The earlier case occurred in 1909 in connection with the murder of Deputy Warden Stedman at Alberta Penitentiary. Executions in Canada were usually carried out within provincial facilities.

Photo: Anton Fladeby, Courtesy of nephew Mr. Agnar Flateby, Norway

Anton Fladeby

Guard, Manitoba Penitentiary
May 11, 1919

Guard Anton Fladeby was stabbed in the throat by an inmate on May 2, 1919, while on duty outside of the institutional barber shop. He died at Winnipeg General Hospital on May 11, 1919.

A veteran of World War One, Fladeby had recently returned from military service overseas with the 52 nd Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force. He had only been back to work at the penitentiary for 10 days before this incident.

For a defense, the inmate, Albert Johnson (a.k.a. Fred Fishbourne), claimed that there were abuses at Stony Mountain. An investigation was held into the operations at the facility. In fact, it was discovered that Johnson had held a personal grudge against Guard Fladeby for having reported him for writing letters criticizing the administration. Inmate Johnson was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison. As an American citizen, he was eventually transferred to Kingston Penitentiary and was deported back to the U.S. in 1935.

Photo: Joseph Allen Purcell, Courtesy of grandson William Purcell & family, Kingston.

Joseph Allen Purcell

Guard, Kingston Penitentiary
September 29, 1919

Guard Joseph Allen Purcell was killed as the result of an accident that occurred while operating farm equipment pulled by a team of horses on the Kingston Penitentiary farm. On September 1, 1919, he and an inmate were operating the machine when the reins of the apparatus got stuck. Officer Purcell dismounted in order to repair the gear when the horses suddenly bolted, knocking him down. In an effort to save the government equipment, Mr. Purcell held on to the reins and was dragged for a short distance before falling and being run over by the horses and the machinery. He died 28 days later in hospital.

Photo: (Believed to be Officer Blyth)

Stanley Herbert Blyth

Guard, Saskatchewan Penitentiary
August 19, 1925

Guard Blyth accidentally fell from an upper tier in one of the cell-blocks, a height of 25 feet, fracturing his skull on the cement floor. For some time, it had been the practice at the institution for officers to climb the cell bars once they reached the end of the range (as there was no staircase) to get to the upper level to more efficiently carry out their counts of inmates.

By all accounts, Guard Blyth was an excellent and careful officer. In his annual report, Warden MacLeod wrote the following, "In the death of this officer we have lost a bright and intelligent young man, who always performed the duties assigned to him in a very efficient manner."

Photo: John Williams, Winnipeg Evening Tribune, June 28, 1926 p.17 c.2

John Williams

Guard, Manitoba Penitentiary
June 25, 1926

On June 25, 1926, Guard John Williams was in charge of a group of about 20 inmates who were blasting rock to dig the foundation of a new sewage disposal plant within the compound. The project was intended to improve the cleanliness of the institution.

The work appeared to be going smoothly until a charge of gunpowder failed to go off. After waiting for a long time and ensuring that his inmate crew was at a safe distance, Guard Williams cautiously approached the charge. As he bent over it in order to replace what he believed was a defective fuse, the charge exploded, fracturing his skull and throwing him some distance through the air, killing him instantly.

Photo: Malcolm Earl Jenkin, Let's Talk Magazine. Vol. 8 No. 3, Feb. 15, 1983

Malcolm Earl Jenkin

Guard, Kingston Penitentiary
August 28, 1926

Guard Malcom Earl Jenkin was killed while supervising a crew of inmates who were installing a fence on the Kingston Penitentiary farm on Johnson Street near Palace Road, north of the penitentiary. During the project, he was clubbed over the head by an inmate wielding a crow bar.

The inmate, a Russian named Thomas McCoskey (aka Max Vochitz), attempted to escape by running down Johnson Street, but was recaptured a short time later. McCoskey was hanged for the murder at the Frontenac County Gaol on April 21, 1927.

Photo: Gabriel Childs, Courtesy of the family.

Gabriel Childs

Guard, Collins Bay Penitentiary
February 23, 1933

On February 16, 1933, Guard Gabriel Childs suffered fatal burns as the result of an accident while perfoming quarry work at Collins Bay Penitentiary. He and Officer Silas Ash were in a quarry shack opening a can of blasting powder when the contents ignited. Both officers suffered burns, but Officer Childs bore the brunt of the explosion. His uniform ignited and he received severe burns all over his body. He died seven days later, on February 23, 1933, in Kingston General Hospital.

Photo: John J. McCormick, Canada's Penitentiary Museum

John J. McCormick

Guard, Kingston Penitentiary
July 13, 1936

On July 11, 1936, Officer John J. McCormick was posted to the penitentiary hospital. The day appeared to be proceeding normally when an inmate named Chester Crosley, one of a number of inmates who were waiting in the corridor to receive treatment, suddenly entered the dispensary and launched a knife attack upon Assistant Hospital Overseer Jack Toomey. After stabbing Mr. Toomey, the inmate rushed out into the corridor where he was stopped by Guard McCormick. During the scuffle, Guard McCormick received four stab wounds. He died in hospital on July 13, 1936.

The inmate, Chester Crosley, was subsequently given a death sentence with the execution to take place on December 6, 1937, at the Frontenac County Gaol. However, on November 2, 1937, he was found dead of unknown causes in his cell.

Photo: John D. Kennedy, Courtesy of the Kennedy family, Kingston

John D. Kennedy

Guard Messenger*, Kingston Penitentiary
April 26, 1948

Guard Messenger* John D. Kennedy was shot during the escape of two inmates through the North Gate of Kingston Penitentiary.

As he was driving the penitentiary car towards the gate to exit the penitentiary, Messenger Kennedy offered a ride to an inmate named Austin Craft, a trustee**, who was on his way to the gatehouse to dispose of garbage. Once Craft was within the gatehouse, Guard Kennedy got out of his vehicle. By the time the gates were opened to allow the car out onto the street, inmate Craft had come out of the gatehouse, pulled a revolver from under the rear bumper of the vehicle and released inmate Urquhart from the trunk where he had been hiding.

Shots were fired as the inmates got away with the vehicle. During the scuffle, Messenger Kennedy was shot and died in the gatehouse.

The inmates were captured later the same day just south of Sydenham, Ontario. After a trial in which he represented himself, inmate Austin Craft was subsequently hanged for the murder on January 24, 1949. This was the last hanging in Frontenac County.

*Guard Messenger: An officer assigned to deliver and retrieve letter mail and packages outside the institution. The term originated in the period before the advent of the telephone, but continued in use well into the 20th century. This officer was provided with a vehicle to enable him to carry out his duties.

**Trustee: A term once used to describe an inmate who demonstrated exemplary behaviour and a low security risk and, as a result, was given certain privileges. The term is no longer used.

Photo: William Clement Wentworth, Canada's Penitentiary Museum

William Clement Wentworth

Guard, Kingston Penitentiary
November 24, 1961

Guard Clement Wentworth was stabbed to death by an inmate or inmates in the washroom of "C" dormitory (now part of Regional Treatment Centre building C-23) sometime around midnight November 24, 1961. This post was not his usual assignment.

Over 30 years later, in 1993, the Kingston Police investigated this incident as a cold case and arrested inmate Ralph Cochrane, then serving a life sentence in British Columbia on unrelated charges. The trial judge decided that it was against the rights of the accused to be taken to trial so many years after the incident without the introduction of new evidence. He also ruled that a charge had been made against the individual in 1961, although the original documents could not be located.

As a result, the case was thrown out and no one was ever convicted for the murder of Officer Wentworth.

Photo: Joseph Eugene Raymond Tellier, Source: Government of Canada

Joseph Eugene Raymond Tellier

Guard, St. Vincent de Paul Penitentiary
May 2, 1963

At approximately 4:30 p.m. on May 2, 1963, Guard Raymond Tellier was taken hostage by two inmates, cousins Marcel and Claude Marcoux, and was forced at knifepoint into cell number 12. The inmates tied the officer's hands back with a cord and lashed his ankles to the legs of a stool in the cell. The inmates were demanding a transfer to Stony Mountain Institution.

During negotiations, they began to stab the officer with homemade shivs*. With blood seeping from under the barrier across the catwalk floor in front of the cell, Tellier shouted to the Warden that he was injured and in great pain. Inmate Marcel Marcoux then stabbed the officer in the chest. The Warden had no choice but to order the three officers in his company to storm the cell to put a stop to the massacre and to attempt to rescue the hostage.

During the confusion of the incident, Marcel Marcoux was fatally shot and Claude Marcoux received a gunshot wound to the arm. Additional wounds were inflicted upon the officer, contributing to his death. An autopsy showed that the fatal wounds were indeed the result of gunshots, but that the officer was already dying from the stab wound to his chest, which had punctured a lung.

The surviving brother, Claude Marcoux, was found guilty of forcible confinement and attempted extortion of penitentiary authorities, and sentenced to seven years.

*Shiv: An improvised knife. Also referred to as a shank'

Photo: Edwin James Masterton, Canada's Penitentiary Museum photo collection, POTC 88 1960 (detail)

Edwin James Masterton

Guard, Dorchester Penitentiary
September 23, 1964

Guard Edward James Masterton was stabbed by an inmate in the yard of the institution during the exercise period at approximately 8:15 p.m. The attack appeared to be a random and senseless act.

The attacker, inmate Reginald Colpitts, was originally sentenced to death, but won an appeal due to a fault in the process of the original trial. He was tried again and sentenced to death a second time. On January 18, 1966, the scheduled date of his execution, the Lester B. Pearson government commuted the death sentence to one of life in prison. This was the 20th such commutation awarded by the Pearson government. Colpitts was then transferred to British Columbia Penitentiary.

In November 1967, Colpitts committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet.

Photo: Stanley Conrad Green, Canada's Penitentiary Museum courtesy Stony Mountain Institution

Stanley Conrad Green

Carpentry Instructor, Stony Mountain Institution
July 22, 1974

On July 22, 1974, Carpentry Instructor Green was attacked in the carpentry shop by an inmate using a three-foot steel clamp as a bludgeon. His attacker, a drug addict named George Peloquin, suffered from delusions that he claimed forced him to "kill someone in order to elevate his position in life." Instructor Green's wartime experience made him a target because, having been a soldier, in the inmate's mind Instructor Green presumably had "killed legally" himself. The Instructor was attacked from behind and died as the result of brain injuries from the brutal beating.

In March 1975, his attacker became the first person in Canada to receive a mandatory death sentence for murdering a prison employee since Criminal Code amendments in 1972 set a mandatory death sentence for such an offence. At a later trial, however, he was acquitted, having been found to be of unsound mind. The Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench ordered that Peloquin be kept indefinitely in a mental health facility at the pleasure of the lieutenant-governor-in-council (provincial cabinet).^{Footnote 1}

Photo: Joseph Jean-Louis Georges Nadeau, Source: Government of Canada

Joseph Jean-Louis Georges Nadeau

Chief Trade Instructor, Cowansville Institution
April 8, 1975

On April 8, 1975, as he approached his office which was located in the industrial paint shop, Instructor Georges Nadeau was attacked by an inmate with a hammer. At the time, the Instructor had been leading a workshop session with 10 inmates. Inmate Mario Gauthier approached him from behind and hit him about the head and face at least 23 times.

On May 14, 1976, Gauthier became the last person in Canada to be sentenced to death. Two months later, on July 14, 1976, the House of Commons passed legislation, abolishing capital punishment from the Canadian Criminal Code and replacing it with a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for 25 years for all first-degree murders. Gauthier's death sentence was then commuted to life.

Photo: Roy Eddy, Source: Government of Canada

Roy Eddy

Correctional Officer CX-4, Regional Psychiatric Centre, Pacific, Abbotsford, B.C.
June 6, 1975

On June 6, 1975 at 5:30 a.m., a psychotic patient became extremely violent and fought with a number of staff members, including Officer Eddy, for 40 minutes before being restrained. Five minutes later, Officer Eddy, acting in charge of the institution, returned to his post in the central control. Half an hour later, he collapsed from his chair, unconscious. Staff rushed to his assistance but to no avail. Officer Eddy was pronounced dead upon his arrival at the MSA General Hospital, the result of a heart attack brought on by the stress of the struggle with the inmate.

There are no records of any criminal charges stemming from his death.

Photo: Margaret Steinhauser Franz

Mary Steinhauser

Classification Officer, British Columbia Penitentiary
June 11, 1975

Classification Officer Mary Steinhauser was accidentally shot and killed by rescuers during a major hostage-taking incident at British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster in June 1975.

Ms. Steinhauser was one of sixteen hostages held at knifepoint in the classification offices by three inmates: Andrew Graydon Bruce, Dwight Douglas Lucas and Claire Daniel Wilson. The hostage-taking was part of an elaborate escape plan. Among the hostages were one Correctional Officer who had joined the Penitentiary Service only nine months earlier, thirteen Classification Officers and two Social and Cultural Development Officers. The hostages were held for three days from June 9 until the attempted rescue on June 11.

Once resolved, the inmates were found guilty of extortion and unlawful confinement, and sentenced to 14 years, served concurrently with the Life sentences they were already serving.

As a result of this incident, the MacGuigan Report suggested that formally trained Emergency Response Teams be formed in all institutions.

Photo: Joseph Albert Paul Gosselin, Library & Archives Canada, personnel file

Joseph Albert Paul Gosselin

Correctional Officer, Archambault Institution
June 27, 1975

On June 27, 1975, Officers Paul Gosselin and Gravel were assigned to escort inmate Gilles Hébert, to the Queen Mary Veteran's Hospital in Montréal, Québec for x-rays. Hébert was shackled and handcuffed as per procedure; however, during the treatment his leg irons had been removed.

Following treatment, Hébert requested permission to use a washroom next to the main waiting room of the hospital. Still handcuffed, the officers allowed him to do so, waiting just outside the door. However, becoming suspicious of noises coming from the washroom, the officers approached to investigate. Immediately, Hébert emerged from the washroom free of his restraints and firing a handgun. He then exited the hospital and made his escape in a waiting getaway car.

During the incident, Officer Gosselin was shot three times and died while being operated on. Officer Gravel received one shot to his stomach and suffered a heart attack but survived. According to witnesses, Hébert had been joking with the officers just prior to entering the washroom. The investigation showed that it would have been possible for an accomplice to have entered the hospital in order to plant the gun and handcuff key in the washroom before the incident, as the area was used as an outpatient clinic.

Inmate Gilles Hébert was captured 53 days later in Montreal. He was sentenced to death, however capital punishment was removed from the Canadian criminal code soon thereafter. His sentence was commuted to life in prison.

Photo: J. L. R. Michel Roy, Montréal Gazette

J. L. R. Michel Roy

Warden, Archambault Institution
February 7, 1978

Warden Roy was shot and killed outside his home while clearing his driveway of snow in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Québec. It is believed by some that his murder was in response to changes that he had introduced in order to stop contraband (specifically drugs) from entering the institution.

Michel Tremblay and Gérald Gauthier were eventually charged with first-degree murder and were both found guilty on January 16, 1982 in Québec Superior Court. The jury deliberated for 17 hours before delivering their verdict. Both Tremblay and Gauthier received life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Photo: Paul Guy Fournier, Source: Government of Canada

Paul Guy Fournier

Correctional Officer, Laval Institution
July 11, 1978

On July 11, 1978, Correctional Officer Guy Fournier was working in the visiting area of the Laval Institution (formerly the St. Vincent de Paul Penitentiary). Unknown to him, five inmates had entered the visiting area intoxicated, having drank a quantity of illegal homebrew. After gaining entry to the visiting area they took 25 staff members hostage using firearms that had been snuck into the institution. In an attempt to escape, they corralled the hostages and moved them toward the front door of the administration building. Hearing the noise, Officer Fournier came out to investigate. Seeing what was happening, he attempted to stop the inmates and after a brief struggle was fatally shot.

During the commotion, two other officers were injured and one of the inmates, Jean Lachapelle, was shot dead. Officer Drouin was shot in the cheek and mouth, and Deputy Security Director Gaston Langelier was also shot a number of times. Both officers survived. Mr. Langelier was later awarded the Cross of Valour and Officers Drouin and Fournier (posthumously) were awarded the Star of Courage.

All five inmates received life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Photo: Frank A.G. Eustace, Kingston Whig Standard, Nov 27, 1978 P1

Frank A.G. Eustace

Senior Correctional Officer, Collins Bay Institution
November 26, 1978

Officer Frank A.G. Eustace was stabbed to death by an inmate in the kitchen area of the institution after he had come to the assistance of Food Services staff. The same inmate had also killed Food Services Officer J.D.P. Maurice and stabbed Assistant Food Services Supervisor Frank Davall during the incident. Eustace was in the process of talking the inmate, Hugh Dan MacDonald, down after the initial incident when the inmate snapped and fatally stabbed Officer Eustace.

At the time of his death, Officer Eustace was the Vice-President of the Officers' Union and had been campaigning for the increased safety of staff in the workplace.

Inmate MacDonald was sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Photo: Joseph Daniel Paul Maurice, Kingston Whig-Standard, Nov.27, 1978

Joseph Daniel Paul Maurice

Food Services Officer, Collins Bay Institution
November 26, 1978

At about 11:30 a.m. on November 26, 1978, Food Services Officer Paul Maurice was stabbed to death by inmate Hugh Dan MacDonald in the kitchen area of the institution. Assistant Food Services Supervisor Frank Davall immediately rushed to the aid of Mr. Maurice and was stabbed in the attempt, but survived. Senior Correctional Officer Frank Eustace then arrived on the scene and attempted to talk the offender down. He thought he had been successful, when the inmate suddenly launched another attack and fatally stabbed him.

Inmate MacDonald was sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Photo: William A. Morrison, Canada's Penitentiary Museum

William A. Morrison

Correctional Officer, Dorchester Penitentiary
October 10, 1980

As related in the Correctional Service of Canada magazine Let's Talk (Vol.5 # 21) Mr. Morrison and another officer were making their rounds as usual at 3:15 a.m. on October 8, when they discovered three inmates who had escaped from their cells in a break-out attempt (Emil Desroches, Ron Enman and Richard Wright). The inmates overcame the officers in a physical struggle and took them hostage. They then barricaded themselves inside the cellblock.

For two anxious days, institutional authorities attempted to talk the inmates into surrendering but on October 10 at 6:45 p.m., screams for help from one of the hostages precipitated a rescue attempt by the Institutional Emergency Response Team.

A warning shot was fired upwards during the rescue attempt, however, Mr. Morrison was accidentally shot and found seriously wounded and died on the way to hospital.

An autopsy revealed that Officer William A. Morrison was accidentally killed by the discharge of a shotgun used during the rescue as a diversionary tactic.

Following the incident, all three inmates were held accountable and transferred to a different facility.

Photo: J.Y. Léandre Leblanc, Dorchester Penitentiary

J.Y. Léandre Leblanc

Senior Keeper (CX-8), Archambault Institution
July 25, 1982

Senior Keeper Leblanc was killed in the central control area of the institution during the major riot of 1982. After refusing to open a barrier for the rioters, he was beaten and stabbed repeatedly.

Officer Leblanc was killed on his last shift, only 90 minutes before retiring with 25 years of service. During the riot two other officers, Officer Van Den Abeele and Officer Rivard, were also brutally killed. The bodies of the inmates who were responsible for the killings, Christian Perrault and Yvon Martin, were found in a corridor of the prison after the riot. They had committed suicide by taking poison.

The Archambault riot of 1982 has become known as the most violent federal penitentiary riot in Canadian history. At the end of the incident, three officers and two inmates were dead.

In all, ten inmates were charged. Six were acquitted. Maurice Michel, Serge Robidoux, Daniel Boulet and Jason Gallant received concurrent life sentences.

Photo: J.B. Denis Rivard, Let's Talk magazine, Vol. 7 No. 15, Aug. 30, 1982

J.B. Denis Rivard

Correctional Officer (CX-2), Archambault Institution
July 25, 1982

Officer Rivard was one of three officers murdered during the riot of 1982. According to accounts, he was killed by rioters using homemade knives and then hanged with a fire hose.

Officer Leblanc and Officer Van Den Abeele were also brutally killed. The bodies of the inmates who were responsible for the killings, Christian Perrault and Yvon Martin, were found in a corridor of the prison after the riot. They had committed suicide by taking poison.

The Archambault riot of 1982 has become known as the most violent federal penitentiary riot in Canadian history. At the end of the riot, three officers and two inmates were dead.

In all, ten inmates were charged. Six were acquitted. Maurice Michel, Serge Robidoux, Daniel Boulet and Jason Gallant received concurrent life sentences.

Photo: David Van Den Abeele, Let's Talk magazine, Vol. 7, No.15 Aug.30, 1982

David Van Den Abeele

Correctional Officer (CX-4), Archambault Institution
July 25, 1982

Officer Van Den Abeele was beaten and stabbed to death during the riot of 1982, one of three officers killed during that incident.

Officer Leblanc and Officer Rivard were also brutally killed. The bodies of the inmates who were responsible for the killings, Christian Perrault and Yvon Martin, were found in a corridor of the prison after the riot. They had committed suicide by taking poison.

The Archambault riot of 1982 has become known as the most violent federal penitentiary riot in Canadian history. When the incident ended, three officers and two inmates were dead.

In all, ten inmates were charged. Six were acquitted. Maurice Michel, Serge Robidoux, Daniel Boulet and Jason Gallant received concurrent life sentences.

Photo: J.R. Serge Delorme, Let's Talk magazine, Vol. 8, No. 8 April 30, 1983

J.R. Serge Delorme

Correctional Officer (CX-2), Archambault Institution
April 22, 1983

Officer J.R Serge Delorme was stabbed to death in the chest by an inmate in the corridors of the industrial workshop area of the institution. It is believed that he was an innocent victim of a conflict between rival inmate gangs at the institution, and that his death was used by his killer as a means of securing a transfer to another institution.

Inmate David Humphrey was convicted of manslaughter. He was already serving a life sentence for the murder of an inmate at Millhaven Institution.

Photo: Werner Rudolph "Vern" Friesen, Canada's Penitentiary Museum courtesy Stony Mountain Institution

Werner Rudolph "Vern" Friesen

Living Unit Officer, Stony Mountain Institution
July 13, 1984

Officer Werner Friesen was fatally stabbed, along with co-worker Joseph Wendl, as they prepared to lock inmates in their cells in the reception area of the institution at 11 p.m. on July 13, 1984. Inmates Daryle Kent and Walter Sinclair attacked Living Unit Officers Friesen and Wendl. Two other inmates, Frank Gode and Donald Hoard, were also involved in the attack. After the trial, inmates Sinclair and Kent were found guilty of first-degree murder and Gode was found guilty of manslaughter. Hoard was found not guilty.

Photo: Joseph George Wendl, Canada's Penitentiary Museum courtesy Stony Mountain Institution

Joseph George Wendl

Living Unit Officer, Stony Mountain Institution
July 13, 1984

Officer Wendl was fatally stabbed, along with co-worker Vern Friesen, as they prepared to lock inmates in their cells in the reception area of the institution at 11 p.m. on July 13, 1984. Inmates Walter Sinclair and Daryle Kent attacked Officers Friesen and Wendl using a pair of scissors. Two other inmates, Frank Gode and Donald Hoard, were also involved in the attack. After the trial, inmates Sinclair and Kent were found guilty of first degree murder and Gode was found guilty of manslaughter. Inmate Hoard was found not guilty.

Mr. Friesen started his career as a psychiatric nurse. He was awaiting approval for an early retirement with over 25 years of service at the time of his death.

Photo: Arnold Henry Harrison, Courtesy of Ted Darragh, CSC Atlantic

Arnold Henry Harrison

Correctional Officer, Springhill Institution
January 28, 1997

Mr. Arnold Harrison was killed in a winter traffic accident near Memramcook, New Brunswick while on escort duty. A military veteran, Mr. Harrison had retired as a Correctional Supervisor after 35 years of service. After his retirement, he returned to duty as a casual employee.

On the day of his death, he was on an escort returning from Moncton City Hospital with an inmate when they were hit by another vehicle that had lost control during a snow storm. The other escorting officer and the inmate were both injured, but survived the accident.

Photo: Daniel Rowan, Courtesy of the Rowan family

Daniel Rowan

Senior Project Officer, National Headquarters
November 12, 1999

Senior Project Officer Dan Rowan died in a tragic airplane crash while en route to Kosovo. He was representing the Correctional Service of Canada on a 16-day assignment as part of the United Nations International Kosovo Reconstruction Initiative. His mission was to assist officials in assessing the Kosovar province's penal system, and to make recommendations for its reorganization.

The earlier flight that he was scheduled to take was overbooked so he was bumped to a different U.N. charter flight. His plane crashed into a mountainside in dense fog near his destination of Pristina, Kosovo, killing all 21 passengers and three crew members on board.

The investigation revealed several factors that contributed to the crash, including poor crew resource management, weather, and the lack of a ground proximity warning system to alert the crew they were approaching terrain.

Photo: Louise Pargeter, Courtesy of the Pargeter family

Louise Pargeter

Parole Officer, Northwest Territories Area Parole
October 6, 2004

Parole Officer Louise Pargeter was fatally stabbed by a parolee while she was conducting a routine home visit. Staff in her office became concerned when she did not return at the expected time. The home visit was in Yellowknife at the apartment of parolee Eli Ulayuk who fled in the Correctional Service of Canada vehicle, but was later arrested. Ms. Pargeter had returned to work from a maternity leave only eight days prior to this fatal incident.

Offender Eli Ulayuk was charged and convicted of first degree murder in connection with Ms. Pargeter's death.

A number of changes have been introduced as a result of her death. Two staff members are now assigned when visiting parolees with violent histories for the first three months of their supervision. Following this period, a reassessment will be made. Police will also be notified prior to home visits in remote areas. As well, training has been improved for parole officers.

Photo: Lesa Zoerb, Older Sister (Correctional Officer 2)

Lesa Zoerb

Older Sister (Correctional Officer 2), Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge (OOHL)
October 7, 2018

Ms. Lesa Zoerb died in a traffic accident while returning from supervising an offender at a hospital in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Government vehicle that Lesa was driving was hit head-on by an oncoming vehicle, which had crossed the centre line. Her tragic death occurred just outside of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan where Lesa had made her home with her daughter Keara and son Russell. Lesa worked her entire 20-year career at OOHL and was highly respected by staff, offenders, and members of the community.

A Full Regimental Service Funeral took place on Friday, October 19, 2018, at 1300 hours in the town of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan.