Serial killer Paul Bernardo moved to medium-security prison in Quebec

Canadian teen killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo has been moved from a maximum-security prison in Ontario to a medium-security facility in Quebec.

Officials with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers confirm to CityNews that Bernardo was transferred earlier this week from Millhaven Institution just outside Kingston to La Macaza Institution northwest of Montreal.

A spokesperson with the Correctional Service of Canada would not comment specifically on Bernardo’s case but did tell CityNews in a statement, “We assure the public that this offender continues to be incarcerated in a secure institution, with appropriate security perimeters and controls in place.”

A reason was not given for moving the convicted Canadian serial killer.

“Public Safety is the paramount consideration in every decision made by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).”

Bernardo has been serving a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and killing 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the 1990 death of his wife’s 15-year-old sister, Tammy Homolka.

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Family lawyer Tim Danson, speaking on behalf of the French and Mahaffy families, said he and his clients were “surprised and disappointed by the decision.”

“We need far more transparency in our corrections and parole system,” Danson said in a statement to CityNews.

“The absence of a proper explanation is unacceptable. Bernardo was declared a dangerous offender and needs to be in a maximum security prison.”

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino called the reports of Bernardo’s transfer “shocking and incomprehensible.”

“Our thoughts are with the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, and all those affected by these horrific crimes,” he said. “We stand with them, and all Canadians who are rightfully appalled by this move.”

Mendicino says he expects the Correctional Service of Canada to take a victim-centred and trauma-informed approach in such cases, and that he plans to address the decision process for the reported transfer with the agency’s commissioner.

With files from The Canadian Press