Inquest into 2020 death of man on Jackson Square rooftop set to start Tuesday
Bobby Hristova | CBC News | Posted: April 29, 2024 4:07 PM | Last Updated: April 29
Attila Csanyi, 28, died of a drug overdose on May 2, 2020 on the Jackson Square rooftop
The Ontario coroner is set to begin an inquest on Tuesday morning into the death of Attila Csanyi — a man who died of an overdose on the rooftop of Jackson Square in 2020.
A media release from the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic states 28-year-old Attila Csanyi was evicted from his residential care facility on Bay Street South nearly two months before his death.
The eviction wasn't done through Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act and left him unhoused at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the legal clinic.
His death spurred a documentary by filmmaker Stephen Hosier, who follows Richard Csanyi as he investigates the life and death of his twin brother Attila.
The documentary says Attila was grappling with addiction and schizophrenia when he was evicted.
The inquest will feature a five-member jury who will hear from witnesses including:
- Hamilton Police Service.
- City of Hamilton.
- St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
- Sampaguita Lodging and Rest Home.
- The Csanyi family.
- Experts on homelessness, residential care facilities and tenants' rights.
The jury may make recommendations to the various institutions aimed to prevent others from dying the way Attila did.
"We anticipate that this inquest will draw attention to the institutional failings that created the conditions for the destabilization of Attila's housing and supportive care in the weeks prior to his death," the legal clinic said.
The inquest is expected to span over two to three weeks.
People can watch a livestream of the inquest here.