Prison officers in B.C. hospitalized after exposure to toxic fentanyl

The union representing federal prison guards says three of its members were rushed to hospital, including one who needed chest compressions, after being exposed to fentanyl at a British Columbia prison. 

The union says it’s the latest example of an illicit drug crisis inside federal prisons, while violence increases. 

A statement from the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers says the exposure happened at Pacific Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 11, when five officers were conducting a routine search and a prisoner tried to destroy evidence by “dispersing” it. 

The officers all required treatment, some with overdose-reversing drugs, and one needing chest compressions in the ambulance. 

Union regional president John Randle says this isn’t an isolated incident, as more drugs enter prisons officers’ lives are put at risk.

The union says cuts being made to security positions will significantly reduce the ability to intercept drugs, while disciplinary measures against offenders have also been weakened by harm-reduction policies.

“Our members were simply doing their jobs when they were exposed to one of the most lethal drugs on the streets. This should never happen,” Randle says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.

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