Man dies while remanded at Saskatoon jail

Aman who was remanded to custody at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre died on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice.

Drew Wilby said police and paramedics were called after guards found the manunresponsive in his cell just before 2:00 a.m. CST.

They pronounced him dead not long after.

"Atthis time we do not believe foul play was involved and we don't believe drugs are involved either," Wilby said, adding the death is being investigated by police, the coroner's office and internally.

He said he didn't know how long the man had been remanded to custody, but thought it was "safe to say" the man had been there for a couple of months.

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Wilby said that nurses work at the jail, but they are only staffed until 10:30 p.m., so guards rely on emergency services after hours.

There have been six deaths at the SaskatoonCorrectional Centre during the last "five or six" years.

"We're obviously concerned with any deaths in a facility that occurs," he said. "Our internal investigation is designed to look at our policies and processes. Were they followed?"

He said Corrections will "look to make change if and where required and where possible."