5 GUARDS FIRED IN DRUG PROBE

Kingston Penitentiary was reeling yesterday after five guards were fired in
the midst of a police probe into the alleged smuggling of alcohol, drugs
and money to prisoners.

The firings follow the bizarre suicides three months ago of guards Dave and
Gail Perkins, who were also being probed by police on suspicion they were
running drugs to convicts.

They left a cryptic note: "The music is getting too loud ... and we can't
face it any more."

Sources inside the penitentiary said staff were shocked yesterday when
warden Monty Bourke announced the five staff had been fired less than three
weeks after their suspensions.

In a letter to staff, Bourke said the suspensions follow an internal probe
that sprang out of a police investigation begun in 1999.

Hashish, Alcohol

Sources said the police probe uncovered evidence that small amounts of
hashish and alcohol were smuggled into the prison and cash and stolen goods
changed hands.

Bourke did not reveal any specifics of alleged wrongdoing in his letter.
Sources said the five were fired for a myriad of conduct offences,
including turning a blind eye to legitimate and home-brewed alcohol and
sharing private prisoner information with other cons.

Sources said the five guards -- none of whom were veterans -- are being
cursed by long-time staffers, who feel betrayed.

"A prison is a volatile place at the best of times and many guards cannot
accept that their co-workers may have been putting their lives at risk,"
one insider said.

'Staff Wrongdoing'

"In prison, guards are like police partners. They have to know that their
colleague is looking after their back at all times."

Bourke told staff in a memo that Corrections Canada will not tolerate
"staff wrongdoing, no matter what form it takes, because it jeopardizes the
safety of the institution and puts colleagues and offenders at risk."

Sources said two of the fired guards were key players in last month's
ouster of the Union of Solicitor General Employees by the fledgling Union
of Canadian Correctional Officers. While acknowledging that the firings are
"unusual," CSC spokesman Theresa Westfall stressed the five are "only a
small percentage" of Kingston Penitentiary's staff of 300.

RCMP spokesman Michele Paradis refused to comment on the firings, other
than to say a joint RCMP, OPP and Kingston police investigation continues.