New Brunswick’s public safety minister is adamant that notorious killer Allan Legere is safely locked away.
Legere was recently transferred out of a super-maximum security unit in Ste.-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., leading to some public anxiety and questions in the legislature.
Public Safety Minister Stephen Horsman said Thursday in the legislature that Legere is secure in a maximum-security prison in Alberta.
“I want to reassure the people of Miramichi and all the people, the families, of New Brunswick, they are safe,” Horsman said.
Horsman said he has spoken personally with his federal counterpart, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, about Legere’s transfer.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Tories are calling for the government to challenge Legere’s move to a lesser security level.
Bruce Northrup, the PC public safety critic, said people in Miramichi live in fear as a result of Legere’s transfer to the Alberta prison.
“It’s not as maximum as the one in Quebec,” Northrup said.
Legere was serving time for the murder of shopkeeper John Glendenning in a New Brunswick maximum security prison when he escaped on a hospital visit.
He was on the loose for seven months, during which time he killed three women and a priest.
“I was a young police officer then. I know the terror that went through this province and I know the terror that went through the Miramichi,” Horsman said.
“I just want to reassure them they they're as safe as they were last week as they are now. He's put away, he's not getting out,” Horsman said.
The Opposition’s questions are as much to blame for stoking public fears as Legere’s transfer, Horsman said.
According to Correctional Service Canada, the Quebec super-maximum prison provides added levels of security, including limited contact between inmates and staff.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic’s Andy Campbell
