Inquest for Oji-Cree artist Moses Beaver begins 6 years after death while in custody

The long-awaited, much delayed inquest into the death of an artist from a remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario began Monday morning in Thunder Bay. 

Moses (Amik) Beaver, 56, died at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Feb. 13, 2017. He was transferred to hospital from the Thunder Bay District Jail, where he was found unresponsive in a cell.

More than six years later, Beaver's family will learn the circumstances surrounding his death, including how and why he died. The inquest was first scheduled in 2019 but had been delayed numerous times.

Monday's opening proceedings lasted under 90 minutes after the hearing was told that the witnesses were unavailable. 

Inquests for people in custody are mandatory under the Ontario Coroners Act. The five-member jury for the inquest for Beaver is expected to hear from about 32 witnesses over 20 days.

Beaver was a Woodlands artist from Nibinamik First Nation, also known as Summer Beaver Settlement. The Oji-Cree community in Treaty 9 territory is approximately 385 kilometres northeast of Sioux Lookout and 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

2nd death in family days later

Days after his death, Beaver's sister, Mary Wabasse, 58, was killed in a motor vehicle collision while travelling from Nibinamik to Thunder Bay to make funeral arrangements for her brother.

Lawyers Julian Roy and Robert Kozak are the inquest counsel, and Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filion has been appointed as inquest officer.

After elder Sam Achneepineskum opened the inquest Monday, a moment of silence was held for Beaver before the jury was introduced and given a rundown of how the proceedings will be carried out.

The jury is tasked with answering five questions, including how, when, where and by what means Beaver died. Jurors may also make recommendations to prevent future deaths under similar circumstances.

At the time of his death, the family said, Beaver had been dealing with mental health issues.

"The scope of this inquest is to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of Moses Beaver and to make recommendations related to mental illness care within the Thunder Bay jail, suicide awareness and prevention in the Thunder Bay jail, and the delivery of acute mental illness care to Indigenous persons in isolated First Nations communities similar to Nibinamik," McNaughton-Filion said Monday. 

The chief coroner is tasked with bringing the jury's decisions and recommendations to the appropriate people, agencies and government ministries for implementation.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation supports the family

In a statement issued the same day the inquest began, Nishnawbe Aski Nation said several days passed before Beaver's death was officially confirmed, causing "tremendous suffering for his family and community."

"As word of his passing spread, the Thunder Bay Police Service would not confirm that he was in custody, local correctional officials would not comment, the then Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services would only confirm that there was a death, and the regional coroner would not confirm that the inmate who died at that time was Moses Beaver," reads the statement.

Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum, who was at Monday's proceedings, said Nishnawbe Aski Nation will support Beaver's family during the inquest.

"Years later, we still do not fully understand why [Moses Beaver] did not receive appropriate care and the circumstances that led to his death. We support his family's demand for accountability and will do everything possible to support them throughout this difficult process," Achneepineskum said in the statement.

This is the second recent inquest for First Nations people who died in Thunder Bay police custody. In November, a jury issued 35 recommendations in the cases of Don Mamakwa and Roland McKay.