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To a generation of New Brunswickers, serial killer Allan Legere is the personification of evil - a rapist who preyed on the elderly, an arsonist, the psychopathic murderer of three women, a shopkeeper and a priest.

Corrections Canada had reportedly planned to transfer Legere from Canada's most-secure prison to a less-secure facility this week. Gerry Cormier, the mayor of Miramichi, was determined not to let it happen without a fight - and thanks to his efforts, Legere isn't going anywhere.

Mr. Cormier called on federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day to prevent the transfer. On Tuesday, Mr. Day agreed to keep Allan Legere where he is.

We believe it was the right decision.

Allan Legere has never admitted his crimes, though DNA evidence conclusively demonstrated that he committed them. His escape from custody during a transfer in 1989 was followed by a seven-month crime spree that cost four New Brunswickers their lives. Investigators say he is cunning, manipulative, and absolutely dedicated to escaping from prison. If he does, he will once again try to make his way back to the Miramichi.

This is not a possibility New Brunswickers are prepared to accept.

The Special Handling Unit at Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que. is the only penitentiary built to contain prisoners like Allan Legere. It houses the most dangerous and pathological criminals in Canada.

For the crimes he has committed and the threat he presents, Allan Legere should spend the rest of his natural life imprisoned at Ste-Anne-des-Plaines. Anything less would endanger the public.