An investigation is underway into a Saturday afternoon incident at the Calgary Correctional Centre that saw five people transported from the facility in ambulances.
According to police, a peace officer at the facility, in the 11800 block of 112 Avenue Northwest, noticed an inmate with an undisclosed powder in their possession some time before 5:00 p.m. The officer attempted to get a closer look at the substance and both he and the inmate were exposed to the powder. A second staff member tried to intervene and went into medical distress after encountering the substance.
“EMS transported five adult patients from this location to local hospitals,” said Adam Loria, EMS Public Education Officer. “All were in stable and non-life threatening condition on arrival at hospital“
On Sunday, the office of Alberta's Justice and Solicitor General issued the following statement regarding the matter:
"An incident last night at the Calgary Correctional Centre is under investigation to determine the identity of a substance and how it came into the facility. Yesterday evening, an inmate and two Correctional Peace Officers at the centre suffered a physical reaction to an unknown substance that necessitated emergency medical response both from the institution response team and EMS. Two additional centre staff were also taken to hospital as a precaution. Staff and the inmate have since been released."
"The substance appears to have been introduced into the institution by the inmate, who is back at the centre. Fire and Hazmat response was requested as a precautionary measure because the substance was an illicit drug that could not be identified. Centre staff acted quickly to contain the situation with the support from multiple Calgary emergency services personnel."
Staff members and inmates who had been on the floor where the incident occurred were tested for exposure to the unidentified illicit drug.
