Police board opposes closure of Sudbury’s only youth detention facility

Sudbury police board urges province to keep the local youth jail open, citing high costs and harm to families from relocating teens to distant facilities.

At a meeting this week, the Greater Sudbury police services board expressed concerns about plans to close the Cecil Facer Youth Facility in 2027.

The facility is a secure custody facility for male youths. There is currently no facility in Sudbury for female youths.

“To not have … youth housed in the north region here, it is very costly,” Chief Sara Cunningham said at Wednesday’s board meeting.

Closing the centre will increase transportation costs from out-of-town facilities to Sudbury’s courthouse.

Insp. Dan Despatie told the board that the cost of transporting youth is not fully funded by the province and led to a deficit of $200,000 to close to $1 million in recent budget years.

“We’re often transporting youth all over the province,” Cunningham said.

“It becomes not only a financial burden on us, but a resource burden to take these youth … whether it’s to Brampton or Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie.”

The facility currently has around 15 beds for boys ages 12 to 17. Special constables spent more than $1.3 million on transportation costs in 2024.

The board voted to send a letter to the Ministry of the Solicitor General expressing their concerns.

The letter will also share concerns around youths’ mental health, as families’ ability to visit will decrease. We spoke to a family member of someone in Cecil Facer whose identity can’t be revealed because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

“You’re locked up, your freedom is taken away,” the family member said.

Harms families

“And knowing that potentially something might happen or … having to be transferred hours and hours away and not being able to see your family member -- like, I’m here three times a week. It would just be extremely traumatizing.”

“We don’t think that helps or for family continuity and communication and support,” Despatie added.

The board passed a motion to send the letter calling for the centre to stay in Sudbury, or at least the north. Cunningham also noted that Parry Sound wants the facility to remain in northern Ontario.

“We’d like to see the youth remain here, in Sudbury, male or female,” she said.

“Hopefully, the province looks at the facilities they have and they’re able to come up with a solution for us here in the north.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said it recognizes “the importance of youth maintaining a connection with their home communities, especially as it relates to successful reintegration following their release.”

“That is why planning which facility justice-involved youth are placed in involves consideration for proximity to their home community, family, and access to programs and services,” the statement said.

“Plans are underway to replace youth justice operations in the north area to allow time to transition youth to other facility sites in consultation with Indigenous, justice and community partners.”

The current plan is to repurpose Cecil Facer Youth Centre into a 50-bed modular women’s correctional facility.

Sudbury youth will be relocated to existing youth centres in the province.