Talk:Sprucedale Youth Centre

Just to point out, this is a Prison for Young Offenders.

Re-edit
All below I took out: Terry Fox which was co-ed & work oriented. Pheonix for the girls, but later become boys only. Aquarius & Ken-We-Ta were for boys. Mercury unit was kept mostly as a punishment or loss of privileges.

Unlike most other high schools, it has a built-in swimming pool, extensive outdoor environments, dental and medical facilities. It is located in the easternmost part of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada.

This stuff and the Harry Potter reference is misleading if not incorrect. Its a prison- murders and violent criminals are there, these facilities are related to the prison not the high school, there are no teams and any other school-related activities. I worked for a relatively brief time at GEDSB and met a teacher who explained how the school worked.--Mikerussell 16:03, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

You are wrong...
I was at Sprucedale for 22 months, 1996-98. There are school teams, basketball, and volleyball. Other schools in the area come in to play games, and certain "students" were allowed to go into the community and play games. The county track and field meet was held inside the fence, at Sprucedale, while I was there. Sprucedale students who won their events at our Sprucedale "student" track day, were allowed to compete against the students from the other high schools when the track meet was held inside our facility. Mike boraski 03:59, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Sprucedale circa 1982
I was at Sprucedale in summer 1982. It was a full blown prison for juvenile offenders. There was an intake "lodge" called Mercury, that was like boot camp (everyone went there to start....or for time in the digger). You had no contact with the other inmates at the school. They would strip the youngsters of there possessions & pride and subject them to behavior-mod techniques and violence.

Once you spent 4-6 weeks in Mercury, you could then go to a lodge within the facility. Terry Fox was a co-ed lodge, and offered extra-curricular activities with the female inmates (if you know what I mean). Aquarius was a school oriented lodge for boys only. Phoenix was for girls only and Ken-we-ta was mostly aboriginals.

I escaped Sprucedale by scaling the yard wall in September 1982 shortly after my 16th birthday (I figured I should have been let go then) and was the target of a massive OPP manhunt, after I took a shot (with a stolen shotgun) at a Sprucedale staff who was chasing us (Tom LaForme). I went on to have a long history of criminal activity and served time in Collins Bay and Millhaven. I came to my senses many years ago.

I was contacted in 2001 by an OPP officer investigating allegations of abuse by Sprucedale staff in the 80's. I did get a few good beatings in the intake lodge (Mercury) but was never sexually abused. I understand from others I've spoke to, that there was such abuse going on at that time.

The format of Sprucedale at that time did nothing but house juvenile offenders and did not deal with the core issues. If it had better programs, perhaps I would have not gone down the road I did, as well as many other Sprucedale alumni I have talked to over the years. I take responsibility for my actions, but will never forget the hell I went through in Simcoe in 1982 and especially Mercury.

"Irish"

99.228.184.215 (talk) 20:07, 18 August 2009 (UTC)


 * I as well was there 81/ 82 and as well went over the wall. With 2 or 3 others, sounds like similar paths we have traveled. Touch base. 45.2.83.4 (talk) 21:16, 22 August 2023 (UTC)