Review of child killer's transfer to healing lodge expected 'within the next couple of days'
Rallies planned for Ottawa and Woodstock, Ont. as Tori Stafford's dad demands changes to laws
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Thursday that a review into the decision by Corrections Canada to move Terri-Lynne McClintic from a federal penitentiary in Ontario to the healing lodge in Saskatchewan will be coming out shortly.
"He asked the commissioner to examine whether those policies are correct and accurate and he expects significant recommendations will be made within the next couple of days," said Scott Bardsley, spokesperson for the minister.
McClintic and her boyfriend Michael Rafferty, grabbed eight-year-old Tori Stafford from a street in Woodstock, Ont. in 2009. The girl's body was found three months later. She had been beaten and raped.
McClintic pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2010. She was sent to a maximum security prison for women in Kitchener. After serving four years, she was moved into the medium security area within the prison.
McClintic's transfer to the Indigenous healing lodge in Saskatchewan prompted national outrage.
While the federal government waits for the report, Tori's father, Rodney Stafford, is calling for change.
"When it comes to the vulnerable sector, there should be no lowered security for anybody who has committed crimes of this magnitude," said Stafford.
Stafford will travel to Ottawa for a rally on Parliament Hill Friday in support of his cause. There is also a rally planned in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, near the site of the healing lodge.
Another rally will be held Saturday in Woodstock, where the girl lived when she was abducted and murdered.
"It's already affecting my personal life because I can't focus on that properly because I need to focus on this right now," he said. "But, it's well worth fighting for. It's not just about myself and my family anymore. It's about making it safer for everybody's family."
Support is overwhelming
Stafford said he has heard from many families who have lost children in horrendous ways.
"It happens far more than it should," he said.
Stafford admits taking on federal laws is an uphill battle. But he's overwhelmed and grateful that two rallies have been organized to support his cause.
"It's amazing. It's almost 10 years later and to find out there's as much support as there was 10 years ago, it really holds you together."