An Edmonton maximum-security prison remains in lockdown, one day after a major brawl that injured 10 prisoners.
The prisoners were wounded in the fiery melee that destroyed two small buildings in the facility just before 3 p.m. on Canada Day.
As many as 50 inmates seized control of the prison yard on Tuesday until an emergency response team arrived on the scene.
Assistant Warden Daren Frick told The Canadian Press that seven inmates were stabbed, one was shot by a guard, and two suffered other injuries.
Inmates are confined to their cells 23 hours a day while Edmonton Institution federal prison remains under lockdown.
"It will remain on lockdown until management determines it is safe to return to a normal routine," Frick told CTV Edmonton.
The Correctional Service of Canada and the Edmonton Police Service are investigating.
"One of the challenges we face is just the sheer number of people involved, approximately 40 inmates and the staff, and we need to speak to all of them," said Edmonton police spokesperson Jeff Wuite.
Corrections officials have not confirmed what led to the brawl but reports say two rival gangs may have been involved.
A union rep for the guards said gang violence is especially serious within Canadian prisons.
"We have a number of different gangs that just don't get along, they are springing up all the time, they are getting smarter and we have to make sure we are going to grow along with them," said Kevin Grabowsky, with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers.
The men's facility houses 242 inmates.
Irwin Waller, a criminologist with the University of Ottawa, said gang rivalries are a big issue inside the prison system. He said that in the past 15 years, urban centres have seen a significant growth in street gangs.
"They go behind bars and stick to an allegiance that they had on the street and more importantly, they keep the feeling that they need to avenge what happened," Waller told CTV Newsnet Wednesday afternoon. "For Correctional Service Canada, this has been a major challenge over the years."
He said the system has tried to tackle the problem by separating gang members, either by keeping them in isolation or incarcerating them in different institutions.
"A lockdown is a short-term solution but we need to look at what we can do to stem the growth and impact of gangs on cities before they can even get arrested and sentenced to penitentiaries."
Waller said Alberta has been marred by violence on city streets but that the province is becoming an international leader with its crime reduction program, which pumps money into preventative measures and treatment for addiction and mental health issues.
With a report from CTV Edmonton's Rob McAnally
