Union wants inmate transfers stopped as another COVID-19 outbreak hits CNCC
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in Penetanguishene, where 11 inmates have tested positive for the virus.
Six of the cases are among inmates who transferred from the Sudbury Jail, which has been closed for two weeks because of an outbreak there. The remaining cases are inmates housed at the Penetanguishene jail.
Richard Dionne, president of the union representing staff at the facility, confirmed the outbreak in a statement to CTV News.
He said he believes the virus came into the superjail with a positive case among transfers.
"There is no confirmation of the source, but I suspect it to be from a transfer we've recently received," he said.
Andrew Morrison, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, also confirmed the outbreak, stating that the ministry has developed COVID-19 protocols in compliance with the Ministry of Health.
"Protecting the health and safety of correctional services staff and those in provincial custody is the ministry's top priority," Morrison said.
Morrison said newly admitted inmates are screened and tested for COVID-19, adding that they are housed in separate areas from the general population "for 14 days and tested again on day 10."
Still, Dionne said the union wants prisoner transfers stopped to ensure safety.
"The issue with transfers is the ministry has deemed they have completed their isolation period and are clear to be placed into the general population, although the risk remains that the virus can be moved from institution to institution," Dionne said.
"The union has asked for transfers to cease or to isolate transfers. Neither request has been granted throughout this pandemic," he added.
The outbreak, which was declared late Tuesday afternoon, is the third at the correctional facility.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.