Gross mismanagement: Repairs to leaky pipes at B.C. prison took 4 years – BC [Video]

The federal Public Sector Integrity Commissioner says the Correctional Service of Canada committed “gross mismanagement” when it took nearly four years to fix pipes at a B.C. prison that were leaking chemically treated water into the ground.

Harriet Solloway says millions of litres of water from the building’s heating system seeped into the ground surrounding the Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., which is on top of three aquifers, including one that flows into a salmon-bearing stream.

“In reviewing the evidence, it becomes clear that CSC management did not undertake adequate and timely remedial action, demonstrating serious errors impacting safety and potentially harming the environment — not reflecting responsible stewardship of government funds and assets,” Solloway concluded in her report issued this week.

The central water system’s main purpose is to supply hot water for domestic use and heat the three institutions that are part of the Matsqui Complex, which houses more than 1,000 inmates.

Solloway’s report says an engineer first …