Reported new parolee halfway house in Whitby not approved by town

A halfway house for parolees is coming to a Whitby neighbourhood was never approved such a project, said Mayor Elizabeth Roy.

According to Roy, informational flyers have been making the rounds regarding a halfway house coming to Lupin Drive. The street runs through a suburban neighbourhood off of Dundas Street, roughly parallel to Garden Street.

This letter was handed out around Lupin Dr. describing a halfway house coming to the neighbourhood. According to the town, they had no knowledge of the project and one has not been licensed. 

The flyers are ostensibly from Audmax Inc, a Mississauga-based consultancy firm. Audmax’s website says one of their “signature projects was the  Ethnocultural Program delivered for the Correctional Service of Canada.” However, the unfinished site offers few details about this project. Additionally, Google lists Audmax as permanently closed.

The letter goes on to describe 24-hour supervision at the site, as well as daily programming and jobs/chores, a “wraparound group-centred approach that duplicates certain aspects of a family,” meditation and helping neighbours with snow removal as activities for residents.

Despite this, the letters dated July 24 say Audmax is working with Corrections Canada to open a halfway house for recent parolees on August 1 at 306 Lupin Drive. According to Roy, the town had no knowledge of such a plan.

She said Whitby requires all group homes to be licensed annually but Audmax had not applied for any licensing. She also confirmed the town is working with MP Ryan Turnbull and Corrections Canada to learn more about the project.

The town said it will provide more information as it becomes available. A request for comment from Audmax was not immediately answered.

This is a developing story.