Correctional centre substance reaction under investigation
An investigation is underway to determine what substance sent five people to hospital from the Calgary Correctional Centre on Saturday.
An inmate and two correctional officers at the facility suffered a physical reaction to the substance that required emergency medical response both from institution staff and paramedics, a spokesperson for Alberta Justice and Solicitor General said in a statement.
Two other prison staff were taken to hospital as a precaution, and all have since been released.
“Fire and HAZMAT response was requested as a precautionary measure because the substance was an illicit drug that could not be identified,” the statement indicates.
The head of the union that represents Alberta correctional officers said the opioid antidote Narcan was administered during the incident.
Scott Conrad, the chair of AUPE Local 003, said it isn’t yet known what substance hospitalized the correctional officers and inmate, in addition to two nurses.
However, if it turns out that the substance was fentanyl, it won’t be the first time that correctional officers at provincial facilities have been affected by exposure to the opioid, he noted. In an incident just last month, three officers at the Calgary Remand Centre suffered a reaction from exposure to the drug.
“It’s a growing problem, which seems to be gaining speed instead of slowing down,” he said.
He added he’s “very, very concerned” about the issue.
“I want everybody wearing a uniform, regardless of whether they’re in my local or not, to go home in the same piece that they came to work in, and that’s not happening lately to a lot of officers,” he said.
Alberta Health Services is working to determine the nature of the substance.
The office of Alberta Justice and Solicitor General said in a statement that the substance “appears to have been introduced into the institution by the inmate.”
“Centre staff acted quickly to contain the situation with the support from multiple Calgary emergency services personnel,” the ministry said.
According to Calgary EMS, emergency crews were dispatched to the Calgary Correctional Centre in the city’s northwest a little after 5 p.m. Saturday.
“EMS transported five adult patients from this location to local hospitals,” EMS spokesman Adam Loria said in a prepared statement. “All were in stable and non-life-threatening condition on arrival at hospital.”