PAGE 4, WIIITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1987 Ministry doesn't plan expansion of Whitby jail Despite another inspectfon panel report that has found the Whitby jail overcrowded, the Ministry of Correctional Services has no plans to expand the facility. The November report by the seven Durham Region residents who made up the public institutions inspection panel said the jail is overcrowded for inmates and staff, a finding made in all previous reports by panels. The pane! in. particular, men- tioned the n.s.c's station as "ex- tremely .-'amr-ped and poorly lit" and so overcrowded that boxes had to be stacked in front of the emergency exit for the room. John Main, ministry director for Metro region which includes the Whitby facility, agreed that the building was "not ideal'-and ad- mitted that the jail gave a "sort of compressed feeling." But he said the facility is "maybe not ashad" as indicated by the report while there is no room for expansion. He also explained that there is an "ebb and flow" in the jail population. Capacity is 120. A recent count indicated 113 inmates in the facility. The panel found staff performed "extremely well under very ar- duous conditions and should be commended." It was also recommended that processing of inmates be automated rather than manual. The panel also inspected 22 other public institutions in Durham Region. The panel was refused ac- cess to the Ministry of Revenue building in Oshawa because of the confidentiality of the information therein. The panel said that disparity in the Public Institutions Inspections Panel Act should be I I Take advantage of the Canada -U.S. dealyoucan pofit from riglitnow. rectified. Few problems were found at other public institutions in Whitby. The municipal building was "very clean," with concern shown for fire and safety measures; the library received high praise for its service, administration and the new com- puter tracking of book loans; Fair- view Lodge gave "above average" service to residents. Auberge House in Oshawa, which offers refuge for battered women and their children for the Durham Region area, was "ex- tremely conscious of security and safety," according to the panel; the Ministry of Health office in Oshawa, which employs 150 and processes about 45,000 OHIP claims each day, "should rate the in- stallation of fire detectors and ex- tinguishers" because of the many paper records and files. The panel for the November report (reports are made every six months) was chaired by James Duncan of Pickering and made up of Terence Bryan Stimpson of Whitby, William Baier of Oshawa, Shirley Milne of Oshawa, Charlene Donneral of Sunderland, Donald Compton of RR 1, Hampton and Deborah Bryans of Oshawa. 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He said the company hopes the cost of new in- dividual policies will not increase because of AIDS. "These tests used to be ad- ministered at the $500,000 level, but the rise of AIDS has made insurers much more cautious," he said. out of about 1,000 people tested by Sun Life, one tested positive for AIDS. Watchorn rejected compulsory testing of everyone, referring to it as a "return to the dark ages." In response to a question, he said it was necessary to test for insurance purposes sifice a "principle" of in- surance is to determine unin- surable risks. He noted that AIDS could in- crease the cost of business for em- ployers and employees as well as raise the cost of life and health in- surance. Watchorn said most companies are developing AIDS policies and hiring and employment practices as a result of AIDS, all which wvill raise an employer's costs. While pension costs will fall somewhat because of the extra mortality that occurs because of AIDS, life insurance costs will escalate to an estimated $2.5 billion for Canada by the end of the cen- tury, much of that in group benefits. Watchorn also rejected a proposal in Sweden to isolate and treat some AIDS victims on an island. Crops damaged Damage is estimated at $2,000 to crops and an electric fence at Boycheyn Farms at 720 Anderson St. after somebody made their way onto the farm and stripped Brussels sprouts plants. Police are investigating.