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Immigration Detention

 

Source: Human Rights Watch & Amnesty International Report (2021) “I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There”: Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health. https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/17/i-didnt-feel-human-there/immigration-detention-canada-and-its-impact-mental

Immigration Holding Centres (IHC)

There are three official immigration holding centres in Canada: 

  1. The Laval Immigration Holding Centre (living units for men, women and families) 
    Address: 200 Montée Saint-François, Laval Quebec (approximately 30 kilometers from the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport).  
    Map : Public transportation route 22, 42 and 52 (stop Lévesque / Montée Saint-François) 
    Phone number: (450) 661-4717 
    Visitation hours: Every day: 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm 
    *All visitors are required to show proper identification to guards at reception. Your identification needs to a valid government issued ID and have your name, photo, current address, date of birth and signature. You can also bring two identification documents that have all these elements when combined. Once you arrive to the facility, you will undergo a security screening. Visits take place in an open visitation area. 
  1. The Greater Toronto Area Immigration Holding Centre (living units for men, women and families) 
    Address: 385 Rexdale Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario (approximately eight kilometers from Pearson International Airport)  
    Map : Public transportation route 37A(Stop Rexdale Blvd at Tidemore Ave West) 
    Phone number: (416) 401-8505 
    Visitation Hours: Every day: 9:30 am to 11:15 am, 1:30 pm to 3:15 pm, and 7 pm to 8:45 pm 
    * All visitors are required to show proper identification to guards at reception. Your identification needs to a valid government issued ID and have your name, photo, current address, date of birth and signature. You can also bring two identification documents that have all these elements when combined. You will also undergo security screening (bags are scanned and a metal detector is used) and will be asked to store personal belongings in a designated locker. Visits take place in an open visitation area. 
  1. The British Columbia Immigration Holding Centre (living units for men, women and families) 
    Address: 13130  76 Avenue, Surrey, British Columbia (approximately 30 kilometers from Vancouver International Airport)  
    Map :public transportation routes 322, 323, 324  
    Phone number: (778) 591-4101 
    Visitation hours: Monday – Friday: 2pm-4pm and 7pm-9pm ; Weekends and Statutory Holidays: 10am-12pm and 3pm to 5pm. 
    * All visitors are required to show proper identification to guards at reception. Your identification needs to a valid government issued ID and have your name, photo, current address, date of birth and signature. You can also bring two identification documents that have all these elements when combined. You will also undergo security screening (bags are scanned and a metal detector is used) and will be asked to store personal belongings in a designated locker. Visits take place in an open visitation area. 
  2. * The Vancouver Airport Immigration Holding Centre remains operational as of April 2021 but is mostly used to detain people immediately prior to their deportation.  

Communication with loved ones, legal representatives, and community supports is restricted to phone calls using the immigration holding center phones or in-person visitation at designated times. It is possible that the information on visiting hours may be inaccurate since they may change. For more information on the services provided to detainees at these locations, visit: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/security-securite/ihc-csi-eng.html 

Provincial Prisons

In Canada, immigrant detainees may also be held in provincial prisons. Many of these provincial jails are maximum-security facilities.

Below is a list of provincial prisons that have held immigrant detainees in the years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-2020*

Note: British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Alberta and Manitoba have become the first Canadian provinces to end their immigration detention contracts with Canada Border Services Agency. The #WelcomeToCanada campaign, led by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, is advocating across the country to get Canada on the path to abolishing immigration detention. To support the campaign, visit: https://www.hrw.org/welcometocanada

Atlantic Region (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island,
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick)
Bishop Falls Correctional Centre
Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility (Bumside)
Dalhousie Correctional Centre
Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, St. John’s
Madawaska Regional Correctional Centre
Moncton Detention Centre
Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Facility
Prince Correctional Centre, Summerside
Provincial Correctional Centre, Sleepy Hollow
Southeast Regional Correctional Centre
St John’s Regional Correctional Centre
Quebec Region
Centre de détention de Chicoutimi
Centre de détention Hull
Centre de détention Québec
Centre de détention Roberval
Centre de détention Sherbrooke
Centre de détention Saint- Jérome
Detention Centre Alma
Detention Centre Rivières-Des-Prairies Montreal
Detention Centre Sorel
Établissement Correctional Leclerc
Montreal Bordeaux Prison
Ontario – Greater Toronto Area
Algoma Treatment and Remand Centre
Central East Correctional Centre Lindsay
Central North Correctional Centre – Penetanguishene
Fort Frances Jail
Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre
Kenora Jail
Maplehurst Correctional Complex
Monteith Correctional Complex
Ontario Correctional Institute, Brampton
Roy McMurty Youth Centre
Sudbury Jail
Thunder Bay Correctional Centre
Thunder Bay Jail
Toronto East Detention Centre, Scarborough
Toronto South Detention Centre
Toronto West Detention Centre, Etobicoke
Vanier Centre for Women, Milton
Ontario – North
Brockville Jail
North Bay Jail
Ottawa-Carleton Regional Detention Centre
Quinte Regional Detention Centre
St. Lawrence Valley Correctional Centre
Ontario – South
Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre, London
Niagara Regional Detention Centre, Thorold
Sarnia Jail
South West Detention Centre
Windsor Jail
Prairies (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta)
Brandon Correctional Centre
Calgary Remand Centre
Dauphin Correctional Centre
Edmonton Remand Centre
Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre
Headingley Correctional Centre
Lethbridge Correctional Centre
Milner Ridge Correctional Centre
North Slave Correctional Centre
Peace River Correctional Centre
Pine Grove Correctional Centre for Women
Portage Correctional Centre
Regina Correctional Centre
Regina Police Service Detention Centre
Saskatoon City Police
Saskatoon Correctional Centre
The Pas Correctional Centre
White Birch Remand Centre
Winnipeg Remand Centre
Women’s Correctional Centre of Manitoba
Pacific (British Columbia)
Allouette Correctional Centre for Women
Fraser Regional Correctional Centre
Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre
North Fraser Pretrial Services Centre
Okanagan Correctional Centre
Prince George Correctional Centre
Surrey Pretrial Services Centre
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre
Whitehorse Correctional Centre
*Source: Human Rights Watch & Amnesty International Report (2021) “I Didn’t Feel Like a Human in There”: Immigration Detention in Canada and its Impact on Mental Health. https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/17/i-didnt-feel-human-there/immigration-detention-canada-and-its-impact-mental