Office of the Correctional Investigator
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The Correctional Investigator
The Correctional Investigator
On March 5, 2009 Mr. Howard Sapers was reappointed as Correctional Investigator of Canada, having first been appointed on February 24, 2004 for a five-year term.
Previously, Mr. Sapers was the Vice-Chairperson for the Prairie Region of the National Parole Board of Canada. From 2001-2003, he held the position of Director of the Crime Prevention Investment Fund at the National Crime Prevention Centre. In 1993 he was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly and represented Edmonton Glenora until 2001. He served as health critic, treasury critic, House Leader and Leader of the Official Opposition. He was active on a number of committees including the Standing Committee on Legislative Officers, the Public Accounts Committee and the Select Committee on Privacy and Access to Information. Mr. Sapers was the Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Alberta in Grande Prairie from 1982 to 1983, and then moved to Edmonton where he served as the Society's Provincial Executive Director until 1993. Mr. Sapers has taught courses in Criminology, Correctional Law and Communications in the Correctional Services Program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton.
Mr. Sapers obtained a B.A. in Criminology from Simon Fraser University in 1979. He has a strong background in corrections, rehabilitation of offenders and crime-prevention gained through employment and community service. Volunteer positions held have included: Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 1999 Biannual Congress on Criminal Justice, President of the Canadian Criminal Justice Association, President of the Alberta Criminal Justice Association and Vice-Chair of the City of Edmonton Safer Cities Advisory Committee. He is currently an Advisor to the YOUCAN Certificate Program at Ottawa’s St. Paul University, Chairman of the DND/Canadian Forces Ombudsman Advisory Committee, and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsmen.
Mr. Sapers has received significant recognition for his contribution to the community-at-large and for his pursuit of social justice, including: the Canada 125 Medal; the Weiler Award for Social Development; and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. In 2010, Mr. Sapers was recognized as a Champion of Mental Health by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health and he received the President’s Commendation from the Canadian Psychiatric Association.
Mr. Sapers has authored several publications, including articles regarding the role of the Ombudsman, human rights and corrections, and the prevention of crime.