First Nations students' death inquest may start in fall 2015

A recent revision to the Ontario Coroner's Act means a inquest into the deaths of seven young First Nations people, who died while attending school in Thunder Bay, may finally begin in the fall of 2015, according to Ontario's Chief Coroner.

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The inquest was first called in 2012. The first of the seven students died in 2000, the last in 2011.

The inquest had been delayed, in part, because of a lack of aboriginal representation on the jury roll.

The change in legislation lays the groundwork to allow volunteers from First Nations communities in the Kenora and Thunder Bay districts to serve on those juries, said Ontario Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer.

"It gives us the opportunity to ensure that the jury list we draw from is representative of the community and then from that list there will be a random draw to be members of the juries."

However, the change does not ensure an aboriginal person will be part of the jury that is eventually chosen.

"There's no guarantee under the jury processes that we have that the ethnicity of the jury will match the ethnicity of the person," said Dr. Huyer. 

The legislation is temporary and does not impact the jury selection process for criminal trials, several of which have also been delayed because of a lack of aboriginal representation. The new legislation stipulates that selection for an inquest jury must be made before December 31, 2016.

Dr. Huyer stated he is satisfied that this time-limited regulation will assist in moving forward with inquests to the benefit of the families, communities and province in general.

The recommendation that people be permitted to volunteer for the jury roll was made by former Chief Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci in his 2013 report on First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries.