THUNDER BAY — The evacuation of the Thunder Bay District Jail is expected to be completed by end of day Tuesday or Wednesday.
OPSEU Local 737 president Anthony Rojik said the evacuation, which started Monday morning when it was discovered the nearly 100-year-old jail’s boiler had broken down, would take two days to complete.
Jail staff were alerted to the problem Monday morning after maintenance staff noticed an issue in the system.
The building’s backup systems were working, keeping the building warm, but inmates were still evacuated as a precaution in the event the backups were to stop working, Rojik told Dougall Media on Tuesday.
The jail was overcapacity with 188 inmates as of Monday. Officials said the hoped to move as many as possible to the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre, while the remaining inmates would be sent to other institutions in the province.
Rojik was unable to specify where the inmates would be transported for security reasons.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General said on Tuesday the inmates would be held at alternate secure facilities until normal operations at the Thunder Bay jail resume.
