A corrections officer was sent to hospital with undetermined injuries following a hostage situation Monday night at the Thunder Bay District Jail.
"It kills you to see this kind of stuff happen. I don't know if we'll ever be able to recover as a staff," OPSEU Local 737 president Mike Lundy said speaking to media outside of the jail.
Shortly after 8 a.m. officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service confirmed that the situation at the prison had been resolved. You can read that media update here.
In a release sent out early Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Service said the situation at the jail is ongoing.
"Negotiators are working hard to bring it to a peaceful resolution. We can confirm that a correctional officer was taken hostage and as a result of successful negotiations the officer is en route to the hospital for assessment. Our thoughts are with the officer, his family, friends and colleagues at this time," a ministry spokesman said via email.
Contrary to what was reported by at least one other media outlet and several social media accounts, there was not an escape attempt from the cenury-old MacDougall Street facility.
"At this time, the situation remains contained in the secure part of the facility. The ministry has activated the Institutional Crisis Intervention Team to resolve the situation and the local Thunder Bay police have secured the perimeter of the jail," the ministry spokesman said in a release issued late Monday night.
"Our utmost priority throughout this situation is to bring about a peaceful resolution while ensuring the safety of our staff and the public."
The ministry spokesman went on to say corrections staff is working toward a peaceful resolution of the situation and will provide more information when it becomes available.
Thunder Bay Police Service spokesman Chris Adams decribed the incident as serious.
Police blocked off MacDougall Street between Court and Algoma streets. Dozens of police officers were on scene, along with paramedics and Thunder Bay Fire Rescue personnel.
An emergency responder on scene told Thunder Bay television it was a standoff. Another source told tbnewswatch.com a riot broke out inside the prison.
Adams would only confirm local police were at the jail, and could not answer questions about what had taken place.
A tbnewswatch.com reporter on scene said paramedics entered the jail at about 11 p.m.
"This is a very fluid situation," Adams said in a release. "More information will be provided when possible."
