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Prison reformer pushed for significant changes in Canada’s correctional system

Vic Toews

Reflections of a Canadian Prison Warden – The Visionary Legacy of Ron Wiebe: An Unfinished Conversation Ron Wiebe. Correctional Services of Canada, 2000. 84 pp.

Ron Wiebe, a respected and innovative administrator in Canada’s corrections system, died July 28, 1999, after a short battle with cancer. In the time after the diagnosis of the cancer that was to end his life less than five months later, the author was able to complete this outline of his thoughts and observations about the Canadian correctional system.

As an administrator in the correctional system, instrumental in initiating and encouraging change to that system, Wiebe’s observations are a valuable insight. Although he describes himself as a “very conservative person”, it is clear that he was prepared to push the system to incorporate significant changes. At a time when the Canadian correctional system was struggling to find a corporate culture that more appropriately reflected modern principles of managing a large, cumbersome and complex organization, the author was able to influence the shape of the new organization and the values and principles that were to guide it.

Through perseverance and with the support of colleagues, Wiebe was able to significantly influence the legislative structure governing our correctional system as well as the programming offered to prisoners in the particular institutions. For example, he was key in converting a traditional prison into an aboriginal-based facility based on restorative justice principles.

Perhaps the disappointment that some may have in reading this book is that the reader does not receive a greater insight into the author’s personal motivation for embarking on the difficult process of reforming the Canadian prison system. While its brevity is understandable in view of Wiebe’s personal circumstances at the time of writing, his untimely death has left us with only a glimpse into the values of a remarkable man who was active in his community and dedicated to his church.

For students and administrators of the Canadian correctional system, this book will serve as an important insight into its management and structure. Its contribution to the rest of us is also significant. While not everyone might agree with the correctional philosophy that the author assisted in implementing, this book serves to illustrate the influence that highly motivated individuals can have in a large and highly structured bureaucratic system. It demonstrates the ability of an individual of strong moral conviction and vision to leave a legacy that will influence agencies of government, and, as a result, shape the future of Canadian society.

Vic Toews is Senior Justice Critic for the Canadian Alliance Party and former Manitoba Minister of Justice.

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Last modified April 12, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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