Despite Monday’s announcement from the Regina Police Service saying they wouldn’t release the RCMP report into the investigation of Nadine Machiskinic’s death, Chief Evan Bray said he is open to finding a solution that works for all parties involved.
The comment comes after Machiskinic’s aunt, Delores Stevenson, brought forth the issue at the monthly Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Wednesday.
“There needs to be transparency and there needs to be accountability to the public and myself,” Stevenson said.
Bray said he is going to look at it again and talk to members of Regina police to see if they find common ground.
When asked if the police were trying to hide something from the public, he responded by saying the issue is far beyond that.
“I’ll take it under consideration and get to a point where it satisfies what people are asking for.”
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Stevenson said the police going public with the information would go a long way in building trust with First Nations communities.
“At the end of the day, I’m talking about reconciliation and talk about building a relationship and building trust. I think that goes both ways with respect to transparency and accountability,” Stevenson said.
Machiskinic was found at the bottom of a laundry shoot at Regina’s Delta Hotel after falling 10 storeys in January 2015. Her death was not reported to police until two days later.
An autopsy report said she died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and trunk consistent with a fall.
Blood tests showed a mix of methadone, alcohol and three other drugs in her system, along with high levels of sleep medication.
The coroner ruled her death accidental saying there was no evidence of foul play, but the jury in a coroner’s inquest last year changed the ruling to “undetermined.”
Machiskinic’s family has been critical of the investigation, saying it took 60 hours before the investigation even started and questioning how she fit through the 53-centimetre opening to the chute.
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