News from Thunder Bay: Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) has confirmed an inmate died at the Thunder Bay Jail on July 1.
The death comes just weeks after First Nation leaderscalled for the jail to be shut downover safety misgivings related to overcrowding, understaffing and infrastructure challenges at the 100-year-old facility. CBC News has inquired about the age of the deceased and whether the death is considered suspicious. A ministry spokesperson shared in an email Tuesday that “given this matter is subject to multiple investigations, no further information can be provided.” Officers attended the jail just before 2:30 p.m.
on July 1 “in response to a report regarding a sudden death,” a spokesperson for the city Authorities Service (TBPS) told CBC News in an email. “The review remains ongoing with partner agencies," confirmed TBPS media relations co-ordinator CJ Goater. "No other information is available at this time." Death investigations in the province are led by the Office of the Chief Coroner and the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service “to ensure that no death will be overlooked, concealed or ignored.” Crowd rallies for changes at Winnipeg Remand Centre after in-custody death of Kiana Everett “The findings are used to generate recommendations to help improve public safety and prevent deaths in similar circumstances,”the province’s website says. A spokesperson for Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has confirmed it is not involved in the inmate’s death inquiry.
However, both institutions are expected to remain in use after the complex is up and running, and operateunder a single administration through a campus model.
The independent government agency investigates conduct of officers that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a firearm at a person. The new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex (also referred to as the new Thunder Bay Correctional Centre), which is under construction on Highway 61, was meant to replace the existingThunder Bay Jail and Thunder Bay Correctional Centre. However, both institutions are expected to remain in use after the complex is up and running, and operateunder a single administration through a campus model. Ontario jail guards ask for help after coroner's report details suicide crisis among correctional workers Jury at Kevin Mamakwa inquest targets the city Jail — called 'death trap' by his uncle, an Ontario MPP The jail will stay open for at least five years after the complex is completed “in order to allow flexibility in the provincial correctional system,” according to Jayne Harten, director of the delivery and integration branch at SOLGEN. Harten provided testimony in a recent inquest into the June 2, 2020, death of 27-year-old Kevin Mamakwa at the Lakehead region Jail. Among the inquest jury’s recommendations is that SOLGEN develop and publicly release a plan to decommission the jail within five years of the opening of the new correctional complex. Jurors also recommended that the jail never be repurposed to incarcerate individuals in the future. Sarah Law is a CBC News reporter based in Thunder Bay, Ont., and has also worked for newspapers and online publications elsewhere in the province. Have a story tip? You can reach her at sarah.law@cbc.ca. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
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📍 Source: Web Search · By: News Staff · 🗓️ August 13, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
