Louise’s legacy: The tragic loss that transformed community corrections

October 29, 2024

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In Audra Andrews’ office, a photo from the memorial service of Parole Officer Louise Pargeter holds a prominent place. For Audra, a Correctional Service Canada (CSC) Parole Officer Supervisor, the photo serves as both a tribute to Louise’s legacy and a somber reminder of the realities community corrections staff face every day in the line of duty.

 “I keep her picture from the memorial, partly as a reminder to myself, but also to tell others about who she was and the impact she had,” Audra said.

On October 6th, 2004, Louise was tragically killed while performing her duties as a Community Parole Officer in Yellowknife. Her death not only highlighted the challenges of working in remote communities but also underscored the need for a broader approach to safety and security for those in community corrections. In the months following her passing, an advisory committee dedicated to community staff safety was formed. The committee, which is now known as the Advisory Committee on Community Safety and Operations (ACCSO) formed with the mission of preventing such a tragedy from ever happening again.

Now, twenty years later, Louise’s legacy continues to inspire countless others in community corrections, through the work of ACCSO and beyond.

Remembering Louise

Parole Officer Louise Pargeter.
Parole Officer Louise Pargeter.

Louise and her family moved to Canada from England when she was 12 years old. She grew up in Calgary, later graduating from the University of Alberta. Years later, she found herself in Yellowknife, captivated by the beauty of the region. She decided to make it her home.

In Yellowknife, she began working in the community before eventually joining Correctional Service Canada. It was also there that she met her long-term partner and, in the spring of 2004, just months before her tragic passing, became a mother.

Jan Fox, a former colleague and Regional Director for Edmonton and the Northwest Territories at the time, remembers how beloved Louise was by everyone who knew her.

“Louise had the most engaging smile; she lit up every room. She was very, very loved by her colleagues, the people of Yellowknife, and of course, her family,” said Jan.

Jan had the chance to get to know Louise well over the years, having made several trips from her home office in Edmonton to Yellowknife. Despite the long journey, Jan recalls being welcomed with open arms every time.

“She was always warm and welcoming, full of laughter. A happy, caring and compassionate person,” Jan said.

“She was an extraordinary parole officer.”

David Neufeld, President of the Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE) was a young parole officer around the same time Louise was working. Having experienced the challenges of working in remote communities himself, he remembers the courage, compassion, and pride that Louise brought to her work.

“Louise really represented the best of what we do in the community,” he said.

Tragedy strikes

photos hanging on a wall, above a table with a plaque on it
Memorial photos of Louise hang in the walls of the NWT Parole Office in Yellowknife.

On the morning of October 6, 2004, Louise attended what seemed like a routine home visit for one of the offenders in the area. Like countless other home visits, she went alone, only this time never to return.

Sadly, Louise was tragically killed while performing her duties.

Her colleagues grew concerned when they couldn’t reach her after she failed to show up for a planned team event. By later that day, the devastating news of her death sent shockwaves through her team and across the country.

“I still remember hearing the news,” Audra Andrews said. “Twenty years on, it still feels like it was yesterday.”

After arriving home, Audra sat in her car, trying to process what had happened. She recalls watching the news, letting the harsh reality sink in.

“It was life-changing,” she said.

David also vividly remembers where he was when he first heard the news. Having just returned from a home visit in a remote community hi mself, he felt an overwhelming sense of devastation. 

He remembers the exact phone call.

“Do you want to pull over?” he recalls his colleague asking while he was on the phone, driving back from his visit.

“I remember being in awe the fact that this could happen. I had just come back from a Northern reserve, in the middle of nowhere, recognizing very quickly that this could have been something that could have happened to me under different circumstances,”

“And so that’s always stuck with me,” he added.

The start of something new

Louise’s tragic passing marked a devastating time for community corrections across the country. Yet, as time passed, it also sparked a series of changes aimed at preventing similar tragedies from ever happening again.

In the months following her death, a board of investigations was formed to examine the incident. One of the key outcomes was the creation of the Advisory Committee on Community Safety, focused on updating practices and procedures specific to community corrections.

The Committee, which remains active to this day, brings together various levels of management and representation from CSC, the USJE, and the Professional Institution of the Public Service Canada (PIPSC). The group is responsible for furthering its commitment on ensuring safety and security for all those who work in the field of community corrections.

Sherri Rousell, the District Director for the Central Ontario District and a committee member for the past seven years, said that a lot of the group’s success stems from its focus on collaboration.

“It’s very collaborative, everybody at the table is there for the same purpose. We’re all there to talk about staff safety and make sure that we have policies and procedures in place to keep community staff safe,” said Sherri.

“The other piece is that not only is it a collaborative committee, we actually see change,” she added. 

What change looks like

Over the years, the Committee’s work has led to several key changes. One of the major improvements, Sherri recalls, is the Committee’s overhaul of the staff safety assessment, which now allows all parole officers to determine when tandem supervision is necessary, regardless of the offender’s risk level.

“It just gives parole officer’s the ability to determine that tandem supervision can be required on any case now, and it’s a lot less restrictive,” said Sherri. 

Sherri joined the Committee two years after it expanded its focus to include the operational side of community corrections, which led to its renaming as the Advisory Committee on Community Safety and Operations (ACCSO). Along with the name change, came several other key improvements to community staff safety, many made possible by advances in technology.

Carol Osborne, Regional Vice-President of the USJE and committee member for 13 years, noted, “We didn’t have what we have now.”  

As a former case management assistant, Carol used to keep track of parole officers and their approximate location using a sign-out sheet system.

“It’s totally different since then. Obviously, it’s a lot better with what we have now in the past 20 years, and I think Louise was the catalyst for that,” she said. 

What started as a simple sign-out sheet has evolved into the fully digital Community Safety Alert System, monitored 24/7 by CSC’s National Monitoring Centre (NMC) in Ottawa. The NMC is the watchful eye that parole officers rely on to help keep them safe while working in the community. It is the job of NMC agents to monitor the parole officers while they are conducting their duties and provide immediate support should any emergency situations arise.

The Community Safety Alert System was first introduced in 2019 and is now the standard system for parole officers to use during home visits.

Officers enter the address and details into the app, which actively monitors them until the visit ends, ensuring their safe return. The app also include an emergency alert button that can automatically dial 911.

“It’s unfortunate and very, very sad that we lost a staff member as a result of not having proper protocols in place, but things have changed so much since then and I’m pretty proud of the work that we do on the committee to make sure everybody else is safe,” Carol said.

A tribute to Louise

bench on a deck overlooking a scenic view of a lake
The restored and refurbished memorial bench overlooks the horizon of Great Slave Lake, where Louise would often visit.

Carol, Sherri, and the rest of the committee continue to discuss safety issues, practices and procedures for community corrections three times per year.

This past meeting, something extra special had been planned.

Earlier this October, on the twentieth anniversary of Louise’s passing, the entire ACCSO Committee travelled to Yellowknife to hold their meeting and commemorate the legacy of Louise in her hometown. As part of the trip, the team honoured Louise’s legacy by unveiling a restored and refurbished memorial bench in her honour. The bench holds a deep meaning to all those involved. 

group photo of the Advisory Committee on Community Safety and Operations members sitting on and around the memorial bench
A group photo of ACCSO members, who travelled to Yellowknife earlier this October.

Between 2005 to 2006, CSC employees from across the country came together to raise funds to build the bench and its accompanying plaque. It was placed near Louise’s home, where her partner still resides - a spot the two often visited together. Overlooking the horizon of Great Slave Lake, the bench’s quiet beauty and the strength of its surroundings reflect the very values Louise embodied: compassion, service, and unwavering commitment to those in her care.

The restored bench will stand for many years, offering a place of rest and reflection. Just as this bench has been lovingly renewed, so too is Louise’s legacy. 

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