Bell made more than $64 million from inmate calls in Ontario jails: CRTC

Bell received more than $64 million in gross revenues from calls placed by inmates in Ontario jails, a proposed class-action lawsuit has revealed. $39 million of that sum then went back to the province as commission.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) required Bell to disclose the figures after both the carrier and the Ontario government had previously refused to disclose earnings from the inmate calls.

As part of the lawsuit, the lawyers representing the inmates allege the revenues are the result of “exorbitant” rates. Specifically, Bell was charging $1 per minute, plus a $2.50 connection fee, for long-distance calls through the Offender Telephone Management System that it ran in provincial jails from 2013 to 2021.

Through this system, inmates were only able to place collect calls, for which lawyers are seeking compensation for families. The lawsuit seeks more than $150 million in damages and restitution equal to the money paid by those affected.

It should be noted that per data obtained by CTV News earlier this year, more than 80 percent of the people in Ontario’s correctional facilities are awaiting trial and are therefore currently presumed innocent.

“It was pure opportunism. These people were both figuratively and literally captives and Bell swooped in and took advantage of it and shared the spoils with the government of Ontario,” lawyer David Sterns told The Canadian Press (via The National Post).

The Canadian Press said a spokesperson for Solicitor General Michael Kerzner had no comment, given the court case is ongoing. It remains to be seen what will come of the case.

For now, Ontario inmates have a different non-Bell system to make prepaid calls in addition to collect, with long-distance calls only costing a few cents per minute. More information can be found here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: The Canadian Press Via: iPhone in Canada