Ontario sending chief pathologist to Haiti

Ontario is sending its chief forensic pathologist to Haiti to guide the strategy on how to identify the thousands of people who died after last Tuesday's devastating earthquake.

Dr. Michael Pollanen, chief of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, will lead a Canadian team to Haiti on Monday. He will work with the RCMP's forensic team to determine the resources that are required to carry out the massive task.

Rick Bartolucci, the minister for Community Safety and Correctional Services, said in a Sunday release that Ontario was prepared to send additional equipment and resources to assist in the Haiti relief effort. The province has so far contributed $1 million in aid money.

There is currently no indication of exactly how many people perished in Tuesday's magnitude 7.0 quake.

The Haitian government alone has already recovered 20,000 bodies, not counting those recovered by independent agencies or relatives themselves, according to Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive. He said 100,000 deaths would "seem to be in the minimum."

The confirmed Canadian quake death toll is eight, including two Ontarians — Supt. Doug Coates, an Ottawa resident and RCMP officer, and Yvonne Martin, a nurse from Elmira.

There are currently 1,115 Canadians reported missing in Haiti.