Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan announced on Wednesday that former Saskatoon police chief Clive Weighill will lead the review of the Office of the Chief Coroner.
Weighill has more than 40 years of experience in the justice system in Saskatchewan, including being Saskatoon’s police chief for 11 years. Weighill is known for his focus on social determinants of crime and his relationship with First Nations.
“Clive Weighill is highly respected within the community and his skills and experience make him a perfect fit to conduct this review,” Morgan said.
“I look forward to reading his final report and the recommendations he will present to ensure full public confidence in the work of the Office of the Chief Coroner.”
The review will examine the mandate and performance of the coroner’s service and offer recommendations.
The scope of the review will include:
- High level interjurisdictional comparison of coroner and medical examiner models and best practices;
- Examination of mandate, structure and goals of the coroner’s model and office;
- Examination of roles and responsibilities of officials and staff;
- Examination of processes and adequacy of coroner investigations;
- Review of coroner inquest model, including structure and inquest recommendations;
- Examination of processes and adequacy of support elements such as laboratory services, transfer services and funeral home services;
- Review of relationships with police, prosecutions and health regions, including an assessment of best practice; and
- Review communications practices and information sharing with the public
This review follows a civil case, where a jury found chief forensic pathologist Dr. Shaun Ladham did not act in good faith during a professional assessment of Dr. Jeffery Racette. Allegations of racism on Ladham’s part also surfaced during the case. Ladham denies these allegations.
“Whenever you do a review of anywhere I think you need to look at systemic issues whether it’s race, gender, or religion. So it’ll come to the forefront as I look through the whole entity of the coroner’s office,” Weighill said.
Racette was awarded $5 million in the judgement, but the province intends to appeal the decision.
The opposition NDP welcomes the review, and shares confidence in Weighill’s ability. Opposition Leader Nicole Sarauer is hopeful the review will be able to rebuild public trust in the office.
“We’ve been hearing concerns about the coroner’s office for some time now, at least over the last couple of years. I think public faith has definitely eroded with that office,” she said.
Some of these concerns come from Delores Stevenson. Her niece, Nadine Machiskinic, fell to her death in a hotel laundry chute in January 2015. The coroner originally called her death accidental. Later, an inquest ruled the cause of death as undetermined.
READ MORE: Families voice concern about Saskatchewan’s coroner’s office
Stevenson said it is a good decision to launch this formal review of the office.
Weighill will present his final report and recommendations to the minister by July 1, 2018. The recommendations will also be made available to the public.