Toronto West Detention Centre

The Toronto West Detention Centre was a maximum security

remand facility located in Rexdale, a community located in the north-west corner of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The facility was known as the Metropolitan Toronto West Detention Centre until Rexdale, as part of the City of Etobicoke

, became part of the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998.

With a designed capacity for 631 prisoners,

remanded into custody while awaiting trial or sentencing, were serving short sentences, or were awaiting transfer to federal or provincial correctional facilities.^[2] Over the years the Toronto West Detention Centre had at times also housed female and juvenile offenders. From October 1997 through January 1999 the facility underwent extensive retrofitting of its security systems using up-to-date technology.^[3] The facility has also housed foreign nationals being detained on security certificates

.

In January 2014 the

Toronto Jail

(Don Jail). The Toronto Jail was demolished and is now a vacant site situated beside the new hospital facility.

Demolition of the Toronto West Detention Centre commenced in December 2016 with a projected finish of February 2017. The 111 Disco road site is slated to become the home of the new Toronto Young Offender Facility.

Notable prisoners

al Qaeda forgery ring.^[4]

Wahid Khalil Baroud, Palestinian who came to Canada on a forged passport, alleged to be a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Force 17, who served as a bodyguard to PLO leader Yasser Arafat and coordinated PLO terrorist acts.
Laurie Bembenek, also known as Bambi Bembenek, convicted of murder of her husband's ex-wife
Karla Homolka, serial killer, co-accused with her then-husband Paul Bernardo
Abdullah Khadr, awaiting extradition, 2004–current, alleged tied to terrorism.^[5]
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney;^[6]
later extradited to Germany

Ernst Zündel, neo-Nazi, was held at Toronto West from 2003 until his 2005 deportation

References

^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Detention Centres Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Facilities Archived 11 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Modernizing the System Archived 30 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ CTV Television Network, Canada criticized for Hassan Almrei detention, 6 November 2005
^ Toronto Star, $500,000 paid for capture of Khadr, 13 May 2008
^ National Post, Karlheinz Schreiber free again on bail^{[permanent dead link]} 17 April 2008

43°41′58″N 79°35′53″W / 43.699408°N 79.597959°W / 43.699408; -79.597959

[1] Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Detention Centres Archived 5 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[2] Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Facilities Archived 11 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[3] Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services – Modernizing the System Archived 30 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[4] CTV Television Network, Canada criticized for Hassan Almrei detention, 6 November 2005

[5] Toronto Star, $500,000 paid for capture of Khadr, 13 May 2008

[6] National Post, Karlheinz Schreiber free again on bail^{[permanent dead link]} 17 April 2008

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Notable prisoners

See also

References