Brockville, Ont. jail closes due to COVID-19 outbreak
All inmates at the jail in Brockville, Ont. are being transferred out of the facility due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
The inmates are being transferred to a larger jail, the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., according to a memo from the jail’s superintendent.
Any new admissions who would have come to Brockville will instead by redirected to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre for at least the next 14 days, the memo said.
The Brockville Jail has a capacity of 44 inmates and is the oldest operational jail in Ontario.
It’s unclear how many inmates are being transferred out. The latest data from the Ministry of the Solicitor General shows two cases at Brockville’s jail as of the weekend.
A spokesman for the ministry said the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit declared the outbreak, and local authorities determine case thresholds for an institutional outbreak.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the ministry is proactively transferring inmates from the Brockville Jail to other provincial correctional facilities where they will be placed on droplet and contact precautions and isolated from the rest of the inmate population," a ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“The transfer of inmates from the Brockville Jail will help reduce potential further spread of the virus among inmates and staff at the facility, while the facility undergoes a deep and thorough cleaning."
The ministry is testing all inmates and staff to complete contract tracing to determine high-risk contacts, the spokesman said.
Jails have borne a heavy brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, with advocates saying the province needs to do more to reduce the jail population.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen,” said Justin Piché, a criminology professor at the University of Ottawa. “The police, courts and SolGen needs to do all they can to depopulate Ontario jails to prevent COVID-19 transmission that undermines public health and reduce exposure to segregation-like conditions that undermine community safety.”
Piche said callers to the JAIL (Jail Accountability and Information Line) hotline, which takes calls from Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre inmates and their loved ones, have reported triple-bunking in some areas of the facility for weeks, including the quarantine range for newly-admitted prisoners.
“The province, along with its municipal and federal counterparts, need to treat this like the emergency that it is and ramp-up community resources for criminalized people like housing, income and employment supports, health and mental health care, and other necessities to enhance public health and community safety at this critical time.”
The outbreak is one of several at Ontario jails in the past few weeks.
As of Sunday, there were 28 active inmates cases at the Toronto South Detention Centre, 21 at the South West Detention Centre in Windsor and 16 at the Niagara Detention Centre.
More than 2,600 COVID-19 cases have been linked to Ontario’s jails during the pandemic as of early December.
Correction
An earlier version of this story said there were 16 active COVID-19 cases at the North Bay Jail. There are zero cases at the North Bay Jail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.