Bail reform could strain Alberta remand centres to capacity
New federal legislation making bail harder to obtain takes effect July 15 as Alberta's four remand centres already operate at 88 per cent capacity.
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Federal bail reform legislation that becomes law on July 15 could push Alberta's remand centres past capacity, experts warn.
Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, passed on June 15 and includes more than 80 changes to the Criminal Code designed to make bail stricter and sentencing tougher. The shift comes as Alberta's four remand centres — in Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer — are already housing 2,476 occupants out of a total operational capacity of 2,819, according to provincial data from the end of March. That's about 88 per cent of the available space.
William Schultz, an assistant sociology professor at MacEwan University, says tightening bail laws will worsen overcrowding. "If you make bail laws tighter and you make bail harder to achieve, you're just gonna end up with more people sitting in the prison," Schultz said. When capacity is reached, detainees are double- and triple-bunked on cell floors, a situation that increases volatility, tension, and stress, he added.
The Medicine Hat Remand Centre had only three of 87 spaces available as of March. A Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services spokesperson said Alberta will continue to assess and monitor impacts of the federal legislation, coordinating across the province to manage populations while prioritizing safety, staff well-being, and access to programs.