Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / PML / Mountain Institution west of Agassiz is off to a bad start in 2023. The prison is under a lockdown as staff there conduct an exceptional search.

By Marcus Gordon

Mountain Institution

Mountain Institution west of Agassiz off to a bad start in 2023

Jan 6, 2023 | 3:08 PM

AGASSIZ — 2023 is already off to an inauspicious start at Mountain Institution, a medium-security federal penitentiary west of Agassiz.

In a news release issued Wednesday (Jan. 4), the Correctional Service of Canada announced that a lockdown has been put in place effective Monday, Jan. 2 to enable staff to conduct an exceptional search.

CSC says the search was ordered to ensure the safety and security of the institution, its staff, and inmates. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is considered safe to do so.

Visits have been suspended until the search is completed.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) stresses that preventing the entry of contraband into its institutions is one of its paramount goals. It also works in partnership with the RCMP to take action against those who attempt to introduce contraband into correctional institutions.

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In November, correctional staff at Mountain Institution intercepted contraband containing illicit drugs, a cell phone, and accessories totaling $141,000. Following heightened vigilance on the part of staff members, a package containing contraband was seized on the perimeter of Mountain Institution, a medium-security federal institution.

The contraband items seized included THC, crystal methamphetamine, steroids, cigarettes, a smart phone, and accessories.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions. These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates, and visitors.