Media Advisory - Correctional Investigator to hold press conference tomorrow denouncing the warehousing of patients with acute mental health needs in federal corrections

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 11, 2025 /CNW/ - On October 30^th, the annual report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator was tabled before Parliament. Due to the tabling of the federal budget on November 4^th, and the associated communications blackout period, tomorrow, the Correctional Investigator of Canada, Dr. Ivan Zinger, will host his last press conference as Correctional Investigator to address access to and quality of mental health care in federal corrections, drawing on the results of six national investigations in his 2024-25 Annual Report.

The Office's latest findings present a scathing indictment of the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) capacity to meet the mental health needs of federally incarcerated individuals. The report calls for the reprofiling of Regional Treatment Centres (RTCs) as intermediate mental health care facilities, citing their critically limited capacity to provide proper acute care. It further recommends the transfer of individuals with complex psychiatric needs to specialized external facilities, noting that current practices violate human rights and international standards. The report also draws attention to a proposed $1.3 billion infrastructure project for CSC, an initiative the Correctional Investigator deems a misallocation of resources, noting provincial partnerships as a more sustainable and effective solution. Investigations also revealed critical gaps in cognitive deficit screening, trauma-informed care - particularly for incarcerated women and Indigenous peoples - and continuity of mental health care, underscoring the need for systemic reform and greatly improved collaboration with provincial health authorities.

The full report can be found here. 

National Press Theatre
Room 325 (Wellington Building), 
180 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario 

Wednesday, November 12, 2025
10:00 a.m. EST

Following opening remarks from the Correctional Investigator, Dr. Ivan Zinger will take questions from the media.

Note: Participation in the question-and-answer portion of this event is in person or via Zoom and is for accredited members of the Press Gallery only. Media who are not members of the Press Gallery may contact [email protected] for temporary access.

SOURCE Office of the Correctional Investigator

For more information, please contact: Valerie Phillips, Executive Director, Email: [email protected]