A Facebook post on the Justice for Regina Correctional Inmates page, says some inmates at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre have begun a hunger strike, along with others at the women’s Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert.

They are protesting inadequate precautions and care in regards to COVID-19, and the hunger strikers are also calling for Corrections Minister Christine Tell’s resignation.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority declared an outbreak at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre on November 17th, and it continues at the facility.

A spokesperson with Beyond Prison Walls Canada, Sheri Maier, says inmate Corey Cardinal organized the hunger strike and he is now being segregated.

A statement from the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety says numerous measures have been taken to protect staff, inmates and the public during the pandemic.

They include isolation and quarantine protocols for those who exhibit symptoms, continuous masking of staff and offenders, and adding temporary structures at both the Regina and Saskatoon Correctional Centres to better manage the offender population.

There are currently 15 inmates at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert refusing their meals, and 48 at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre.

Corrections reports one case of COVID-19 in a staff member at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre, 12 staff members in Regina and 62 inmates, 14 inmates at the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, one staff member at the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford, and one staff member and two offenders at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre.

(CJWW)