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30 inmates relocated to Ontario, 30 more transferred within Nunavut following BCC fire

Baffin Correctional Centre 3
Sixty prisoners have been moved elsewhere following a fire at Baffin Correctional Centre on March 18. Trevor Wright/NNSL photo

Thirty prisoners from Baffin Correctional Centre (BCC) have been moved to the Joyceville Institution in Kingston, Ont. after a fire that damaged BCC on March 18.

The Ontario facility has been free of Covid-19 since Feb. 26, according to Justice Minister George Hickes.

The remaining 30 inmates from BCC have been transferred to various other correctional facilities within Nunavut.

The state of BCC is still under assessment, however, a remediation plan is being developed to determine a timeline for the reopening of the jail, Hickes stated.

The minister gave credit to BCC staff and first responders for their "quick actions," which prevented injuries or a loss of life.

As in interim measure before being transferred, BCC inmates were placed in temporary accommodations with the support of RCMP, sheriffs and other correctional facilities in Iqaluit.