2 inmates test positive at remand centre

Two Edmonton Remand Centre inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 as the virus's spread worsens outside jail walls.

A total of 15 inmates at the northwest Edmonton jail — the largest correctional facility in Canada — have contracted the virus since the pandemic began, Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson said.

Six of those cases were identified between Oct. 5 and 16.

There are currently two Covid-positive inmates at the centre, both in the medical isolation unit, he said. A third is isolating at home after being released on bail. All remaining cases have recovered. Meanwhile, at least seven remand centre staff to date have fallen ill with COVID.

All cases are believed to have been acquired in the community, and there's “no evidence to support in-facility transmission,” Williamson said.

Amanda Hart-dowhun, a defence lawyer and president of the Alberta Prison Justice Society, said the rise in cases is troubling. She also worries about the impacts of pandemic-related restrictions on inmates, some of who are confined to cells for more than 23 hours a day to limit contact with other prisoners.

“It's a big worry for anyone who cares about the well-being of the inmates,” she said.

During the early months of the pandemic, inmate advocates urged courts and governments to shrink correctional populations to reduce the risk of outbreaks.

In Alberta, provincial inmate populations dropped 35 per cent between March 1 and April 24. The Edmonton remand, which was built to house 1,952 inmates, had just 1,066 prisoners as of that day.

Dan Chivers, an Edmonton criminal lawyer, sits on the Alberta court resumption committee, which receives regular updates on pandemic-related measures from remand centre leadership. He said as of Thursday, 109 Edmonton Remand Centre inmates were in isolation on nine different units.

Chivers worries about the mental health effects of keeping inmates confined to cells, but also credits remand staff with preventing spread within the facility.

“It's a pretty difficult balancing act ... balancing the need to keep people safe in a pandemic with their rights as a prisoner,” he said.