A correctional officer is in hospital after being held hostage by multiple inmates at a jail in Kenora, Ontario.
The officer was taken hostage Friday in a 鈥渟ecure鈥� area of the jail, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Ministry spokesperson Greg Flood confirmed by 5:45 p.m. EST that the officer 鈥渉as been released and taken to hospital for assessment.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear whether the officer sustained any injuries.
鈥淲e want to thank all the front line staff at the Kenora jail that worked to secure the release of the correctional officer. We also want to thank local first responders that attended the facility to assist,鈥� Flood said in a statement.
Negotiators and crisis intervention teams had been dispatched to the facility following the hostage taking in hopes of finding 鈥渁 peaceful resolution.鈥�
At no point did the situation represent a larger threat to the community, Flood said.
The jail is used for both male and female inmates and has a capacity of 105, according to the ministry. However, over-crowding has been an issue at the facility, by the Ontario Human Rights Commission鈥檚 chief commissioner.
The commissioner also found that 90 per cent of inmates held at the jail identified as First Nations.
The facility is located about 210 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
