Today, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) removed my husband, Eli from his cell and placed him in a holding cell the size of a closet from 9:00 a.m. until approximately 3:30 p.m.

Witness prisoners reported that Eli was rushed out of his cell by guards through a side door while his cellmate was at the hospital. During this time, his cell was ransacked, and his legal materials—including documents related to his Supreme Court Faint Hope Clause application—were destroyed and dumped into a garbage bag, mixed together and damaged.

Eli has court in February. He was already struggling to organize these materials, and now must attempt to reconstruct his case from a bag of disordered papers created by CSC themselves.

While confined, Eli was held in a windowless room with no toilet, no sink, no food, and no access to mental health supports—only a chair and a video camera. He remained there for more than six hours.

Legal representatives, advocates, RCMP, Fraser Health, Indigenous Liaison staff, and BC Ambulance all attempted to check on him. All were turned away by the warden at Mountain Institution, despite serious concerns for his wellbeing. I was even threatened with RCMP involvement for requesting a medical wellness check.

BC Ambulance should have been allowed to assess an Indigenous prisoner who had been held in these conditions all day.

Prisoners lose their liberty—not their human rights.

Tomorrow is our daughter’s 7th birthday. Families repeatedly report that CSC’s most harmful actions occur during significant family moments. This pattern is well known among those living within this system.

On Monday, CSC will decide whether to transfer Eli and his brother to Kent Maximum Security, the same institution where Eli nearly lost his life during a stabbing assault.

We are sharing this update because public visibility matters. 

Please continue to sign, share, and speak out. 

Your support is one of the few protections families like ours have.

Thank you for standing with us.