(Courtesy: The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)
Families of Ontario inmates are suing Bell Canada and the provincial government for allegedly profiting from exorbitant phone call charges.
A class action lawsuit claims Bell Canada generated $64 million in gross revenue from these calls between 2013 and 2021, with almost $39 million of that amount reportedly going to the Ontario government as commission.
Bell only allowed inmates to place collect calls and lawyers are seeking compensation for the families who had to pay those bills, according to the lawsuit.
The Brandon Gonez Show contacted lawyer David Sterns from Sotos Class Actions who’s one of the lawyers seeking to represent the affected families.
Sterns said the inmates paid steep fees for collect calls, with Bell charging $1 per minute and an additional $2.50 connection fee, capped at 20 minutes. This means a single call could cost as much as $22.50.
Sterns also emphasized the excessive nature of the charges.
“The amounts charged by Bell and shared with the Ontario government for the basic service of providing a telephone line to inmates were obscene,” he said in an email statement.
According to reports, Bell agreed to give Ontario a 60-per cent commission for allowing the telecom company to operate the phones in provincial prisons.
In response, a spokesperson from Bell Canada provided a statement asserting that it has always complied with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
“Bell has not provided payphone services in Ontario correctional facilities since 2021. While providing these services, Bell always complied with its CRTC-approved Inmate Service Tariff – offering the same collect call rates in correctional facilities as those charged for other public telephones and for home phone services.”
However, the CRTC told Now Toronto it could not comment on the matter.
“The CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. The CRTC holds public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and makes decisions based on the public record. As this matter is currently the subject of an open proceeding, the CRTC cannot comment on it at this time.”
As families prepare to go to court, Sterns expressed hope that the lawsuit would recover the money paid by the families.
“The human toll that this took on the inmates and their loved ones is another story altogether,” Sterns added.
Sterns said his team is planning to ask the tribunal or court to determine what a reasonable rate would have been and to return the excess amount to the affected families.
“We’re hopeful that we will be able to recover this money for the families of the inmates in these institutions, most of them in pre-trial custody and therefore presumed innocent.”
Furthermore, Sterns said their claim is for the vast majority of the $64 million that was charged during that time and plans to ask the tribunal or court to determine what a reasonable rate would’ve been and return the balance to the families.
