Written By David Gomez, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
AILSA CRAIG - After 70 years of serving Ontario’s youth justice system, Craigwood Youth Services has officially closed its doors, leaving workers and community members grappling with unanswered questions. The announcement comes with concerns about unspent ministry funding, raising doubts about financial oversight and management decisions.
Jonathan Guider, Second Vice-President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 166 and a long-time Craigwood employee, described the closure as a culmination of mismanagement and failed negotiations.
“Today is my first day of no job time… I don’t think I have been unemployed since I was 16,” Guider said, voicing the frustration of staff now facing permanent layoffs.
The situation intensified after reports surfaced that the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) had provided Craigwood with additional funding totalling $1.09 million to stabilize operations. However, Guider revealed this information was not disclosed during critical bargaining sessions held in November. “We sat there on November 14 and 15, and the employer was insistent that there was no additional funding. That was a lie,” he stated. “Now we know the ministry did its job, and the problem lies with the employer.”
During negotiations, Craigwood management claimed they were working with the same budget and did not inform staff of the one-time funding provided by the ministry this year. This revelation has left workers feeling betrayed. “It would have completely changed the dialogue if we had known about this money,” Guider emphasized.
The closure has also placed additional strain on Ontario’s already limited youth detention network. With Craigwood gone, the remaining facilities are located in Thunder Bay, Kingston, and Sault Ste. Marie—hundreds of kilometres away from many families. “This is a perfect example of why transfer payment agencies are not the right solution in Ontario for social services,” Guider argued. He noted the growing burden on police, who now face extended travel to transport youth to distant facilities. “How are the local police going to manage that transport? The cost, the time—it’s unsustainable.”
For Guider and his colleagues, the closure represents not just the loss of jobs but a systemic failure to prioritize the needs of youth and workers alike. “The reason those kids were flown out, the reason we are all permanently laid off today, is because of the employer,” Guider said.
A follow-up meeting between union leaders and Craigwood management is scheduled for December 19. “It’s going to be a contentious meeting,” Guider warned. “We are calling them out on that $1.09 million and asking where it went.”
This story is far from over. The closure of Craigwood Youth Services leaves significant gaps in Ontario’s youth justice system, with far-reaching impacts on vulnerable youth, their families, and the front-line workers who served them. Further updates will follow as this situation develops.
