A day after announcing changes to how the Correctional Service of Canada decides on transferring inmates, Tori Stafford's killer has been moved back to prison from an Indigenous "healing lodge."
Terri-Lynne McClintic was reportedly moved to the Edmonton Institution for Women after spending months at a healing lodge in Saskatchewan.
She was convicted in 2009 for the kidnapping, sexual assault and first-degree murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford, along with Michael Rafferty.
She was only eight years into a life sentence, and not eligible for parole until she had served 25 years, when she was transferred to the minimum security facility.
Speaking with CTV News Channel, Rodney Stafford, Tori's father, said he received a brief, five-minute call to inform him of the decision he has been working toward for two months.
He says he had been told McClintic’s case would be reviewed under the new policy and is glad she is “back behind bars in a cell where she belongs.”
It took over nine months before he was informed of her transfer from a prison in Ontario to the healing lodge.
McClintic’s transfer caused an outcry and rallies were held in Ottawa and Woodstock, Ont., Tori’s hometown, to protest the move.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced new rules on Wednesday so that only female prisoners in the “preparation for release” phase of their sentence can be transferred to healing lodges without secured perimeters.
Inmate behaviour and how soon they could be eligible for unescorted temporary absences from prison must also be considered by Corrections Canada.
The changes apply to both past and future cases.
Goodale also said more awareness of how decisions are made and communication with victims is needed.
Healing lodges are meant to help with the rehabilitation of Indigenous inmates and to get them ready to return to their communities.
