November, 2026

Remembrance Day   November 11

Remembrance Day is a solemn observance dedicated to honouring Canadian Armed Forces members who died in service during wars and conflicts. Marked by moments such as the two minutes of silence at 11 a.m., it reflects on lives lost in the First World War, later encompassing those from the Second World War, the Korean War, and more recent missions. It began as Armistice Day in 1919 following the ceasefire that ended the First World War, and in 1931 the date was fixed to November 11 and renamed Remembrance Day, separating it from Thanksgiving to focus solely on memorializing the fallen.

Veterans Week    November 5 to 11

Veterans’ Week is marked each year in the lead-up to Remembrance Day on November 11. It is a chance for all Canadians to recognize our Veterans and remember those who died to protect our freedom.

Indigenous Veterans Day

Indigenous Veterans Day, observed on November 8, recognizes the significant contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada’s military history. It is estimated that more than 12,000 Indigenous people served in the major conflicts of the 20th century. Many returned home to continue serving their communities with strength and pride. Learn more about their history and contributions on the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Veterans page.

Yes, it’s true! JHS Sudbury is 65 years old this year!!

We celebrate our 65th anniversary in 2026 and we are definitely not retiring !  We have new signage and a new logo.   Our staff and board are quite excited !

Watch for our announcement of our open house in the next few weeks !

Thinking about 2027 already  ?

The JHS is !!

Our inmate art calendars for 2027  are now ready !   This year the price  remains at $20.00 per calendar.  All net proceeds go to the services provided by our JHS volunteers.  Pick one up at the JHS office in Sudbury or at the Sun Life office in North Bay.

Thank you Delta Bingo and Gaming  !!

The board and staff of the John Howard Society sincerely appreciates the tremendous community engagement of Delta Bingo and Gaming.  With their support and the work of the JHS volunteers at Delta Bingo and Gaming over $69,000.00 was raised in the past fiscal year.  The funds are used to support the essential needs of our clients such as emergency food and clothing and programs at the Sudbury Jail.  Without Delta’s unwavering support these services would be difficult to maintain.  Bruno, our JHS mascot was on hand to show his support and thanks !

We need books  !!

It’s the summer and because of vacations we are not receiving our usual donations of paperback books and magazines.  If you have some you can donate to for our librray work at the Sudbury Jail please call us at 705.673.9576.   We cannot accept hardcover books, explicit novels or romance novels due to custody restrictions.  Many thanks everyone !

Ontario government criticized for removing minimum sleeping area rules in jails

Shakir Rahim is the director of the criminal justice program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA). (Trevor Brine/CBC) 

L. Martin is executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario and acting president of the Council of Elizabeth Fry Societies of Ontario. (Sarah Law/CBC)

Criminal justice advocates are calling on the Ontario government to reverse its decision to remove minimum sleeping area requirements at provincial adult jails.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing amended Ontario’s Building Code last month to remove the previous standard, which required a minimum of 4.7 square metres of sleeping area per person.  According to the province, the change is part of its push to “strengthen the bail system and keep dangerous offenders behind bars” as it looks to create more than 2,500 permanent jail spaces over the next decade.

The change has drawn criticism from groups including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA)  …,  which say it came without public consultation or a clear explanation.

“The normalization of double and triple bunking will continue to undermine prisoners’ physical and mental health,” said Shakir Rahim, director of the CCLA’s criminal justice program.

“Judicial decisions in Ontario have resoundingly held that these practices are unacceptable. Most people in provincial jails are in pre‑trial detention awaiting their day in court.”

Provincial correctional facilities are for inmates serving two years or less, while federal institutions are for offenders serving sentences over two years.

In federal prisons, the minimum cell size standard is seven square metres for wet cells — cells with a toilet and sink — and six and a half square metres for dry cells, according to Correctional Service Canada.

For the province’s part, Shvets says the previous 4.7 square metre minimum space requirement would “prevent putting a top bunk in a single cell that is eight square metres.”

They want to see more funding for health and social services to support inmates.

“If we’re going to be putting them into facilities that are creating further harm, we are going to be getting people who are released from those places who are more ill-equipped for coming back to community, and then these cycles are going to continue to repeat,” Martin said.

‘They’re like cages’ MPP says of provincial cells

The building code amendment comes as First Nation leaders demand the Thunder Bay District Jail be shut down, calling conditions there overcrowded and inhumane.

The 100-year-old institution was a main focus of a recent coroner’s inquest into the death of 27-year-old Kevin Mamakwa, a member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation.

Kevin Mamakwa died by suicide at the institution on June 2, 2020. He was the nephew of Kiiwetinoong NDP MPP Sol Mamakwa.

People involved in the criminal legal system often face complex challenges, such as mental health, addictions, poverty and intergenerational trauma, Mamakwa said.

It’s also important to recognize how Indigenous people are disproportionately represented in these settings, he added.

“Squeezing more beds into very small areas will not make Ontario safer,” he said. “The province’s current approach to corrections … it will lead to high rates of people committing crimes again after release.”

In addition to restoring minimum sleeping area requirements, Mamakwa said he wants the province to take further action “and make sure that conditions in jails are humane, respect the dignity of inmates and support their healing journeys.”

United Way of North East Ontario

Champion of the Month

Bay Used Books

For almost 5 decades Bay Used Books has been providing affordable books to readers in Northern Ontario. They are first and foremost a brick and mortar store with over a half million books located on 2 floors that span over 4000 square feet of space. Bay Used Books donates many books to the JHS for our work in coordinating the library at the Sudbury Jail.  Without their support many inmates would not have any reading material !

Thank you to this special group of staff and volunteers for your ongoing dedication to our community.  You are our Champion of the Month !

Delta Bingo and Gaming helps fund over 160 local organizations in Greater Sudbury.  We are excited to share the latest round of Charitable Gaming social media graphics with you, available in both English and French!  This creative aligns with the new Out-of-Home (OOH) campaign, which you’ll also see across Ontario on billboards, transit, DriveTest centres, Cineplex, and more. There is an an advertisement running at the corner of Lasalle Blvd and Notre Dame.

Welcome to JHS Sudbury

The John Howard Society believes in effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.  We are dedicated to creating genuinely safer communities by helping to foster a truly effective criminal justice system. The John Howard Society helps people reintegrate into society, thereby reducing alienation, crime and recidivism.

Our mission is resolute. We want to help to create a truly effective criminal justice system – one that serves us all, that confronts crime and its causes and that fosters safer communities.  In short, we help people turn away from a life of crime. Surely, that’s what we’d all like to see.

Practically speaking, we STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through the multitude of programs and services that we offer to the community.  You can help us to STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through your donation to the John Howard Society of Sudbury.  All funds raised are used to deliver our programs and services in the Sudbury and North Bay communities.   STOP Crime Now ! ^TM is a registered trademark of the John Howard Society of Sudbury.

We are proud to commemorate Prisoners Justice Day every year.  It is a day where we remember the violence within the walls of incarceration and the men and women who have died because of this violence while incarcerated.  In 2026 the commemoration will be on August 10 at 10:00 am on the front lawn of the John Howard Society.  For more information please go to the Prisoners Justice Day page on our website.

(NEW!) The John Howard Society assists people with criminal records to apply for a record suspension, formerly known as a pardon.  It is a lengthy process and can take up to two years.  If you would like more information contact the John Howard Society as soon as possible.

Some of our funders include the following and we are truly appreciative of their support.  Given that the vast majority of Canadians claim to give to charities but just less than 25% of Canadians claim their charitable donations on their tax return, you may want to make sure you know the benefits!  Your donations are important !  Please remember us.

To easily calculate the tax savings for a donation of any amount, use https://www.canadahelps.org/taxtime/.

For information on how our programs and services can be accessed in French contact the John Howard Society of Sudbury at the references located on our contact page.  Those programs and services that are available in French are noted with an (F) in the title of each service or program.  The John Howard Society is an inclusive agency serving all people in our community.  We have posted the Pride progress Flag on our website as a symbol that everyone is welcome to enter our agency for service.

Vianet is a proud supporter of the John Howard Society and the great work that we do all across Ontario to provide effective, just, and humane responses to crime and its causes. Vianet supports and helps in creating safer communities and to STOP Crime Now!

Follow us on Instagram at johnhowardsudbury or #jhssudbury.

June is National Indigenous History Month.  For more information please go to our Events page.