Correctional officer hospitalized after being held hostage at Ontario jail

Correctional officer released after taken hostage A Correctional officer released after being taken hostage in Kenora Jail

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 “secure” 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 “has been released and taken to hospital for assessment.”

It’s unclear whether the officer sustained any injuries.

“We 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,” Flood said in a statement.

Negotiators and crisis intervention teams had been dispatched to the facility following the hostage taking in hopes of finding “a peaceful resolution.”

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, according to a report issued in Feb. 2017 by the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s 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.