A lockdown at the Edmonton Remand Centre (ERC) was triggered after a 26-year-old man died of a drug overdose and seven inmates were found in medical distress.
CTV News obtained internal documents that said one man died in the morning of July 13 after he took fentanyl and carfentanil.
Later that same day, an inmate, who showed signs of an overdose, was found unconscious in a common area and at least five others were found in medical distress in their cells.
On July 15, an inmate was found unresponsive in his cell. He was taken to hospital and has since returned.
ERC will remain under lockdown while staff members conduct a search for contraband.
“The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees’ Occupational Health and Safety team worked to ensure staff were equipped with the proper protections to safeguard their health and safety while they conduct searches," James Hart, AUPE's vice-president, said in a press release.
“The question of how these substances enter correctional facilities is one AUPE also has, as the increased levels of these drugs in our institutions is putting staff, inmates and others at risk of accidental exposure, every day."
