Attorney General guarded on more cash for coroner
Report calls for extra staff to fight ‘lag’ so office can fulfil its mandate
Attorney General Don Morgan says he doesn’t disagree with any of the 44 recommendations made for Saskatchewan’s “lagging ” Chief Coroner’s office, but was noncommittal on implementing them.
In a damning report released Wednesday, former Saskatoon police chief Clive Weighill suggested the Saskatchewan government add dollars to significantly expand the Office of the Chief Coroner.
The report, ordered by Morgan on the heels of waning public confidence in the coroner’s office, came with 44 recommendations — including six new positions, more training and review boards to determine when a coroner’s inquest should be held.
Morgan told reporters the province “knew going into the process that we had to spend significant additional resources to maintain confidence in the Coroner’s Office” but would not put a dollar figure, or any concrete commitment, on adding additional resources.
He would only go as far as saying he has already spoken to the finance minister about the need for more dollars and that “we’ll see what’s available with existing resources, we’ll see what’s required by way of new resources.”
Weighill said the coroner’s office has “inadequate” funding to fulfil its mandate, and when that happens, “You’re going to start having a lag, and that’s what you’re seeing here.”
He added he “firmly” believes the government would have a “very, very effective coroner’s office” if the recommendations are implemented.
But a timeline as to when that will happen, or even if that will happen, remains an open question.
While Morgan seemed committed to funding some of the recommended new positions, he was noncommital on other fronts.
“I’m hoping that within the next few months we’ll see some of the positions filled already. I’ve indicated to the finance ministry already there will be some expenditure on this, and we’ll go forward on this as expeditiously as we can.”
Despite saying he would look to staff some positions “immediately ” and suggesting there may already be positions posted, no jobs at the coroner’s office were found on the provincial or national job board.
Weighill noted in the report that Saskatchewan’s Chief Coroner (a currently vacant position) is responsible for managing aspects such as toxicology results or forensic pathology reports but has “little or no control over the timelines” of those reports. Such tests are done by the “good graces” of labs, in part because the coroner’s office has no formal agreements or funding arrangements in place for the testing. That has resulted in significant delays in criminal investigations and determining causes of death.
Some recommendations, if implemented, could see the scope of the coroner’s office expand: Weighill says the province should “Create an Inquest Review Committee to decide if an inquest needs to be held” and also create a “Child Death Review Committee.”
NDP Justice critic Nicole Sarauer said the report was “very robust” and called on the Saskatchewan Party government to take the matter seriously and implement the recommendations “as soon as possible.”
“Reports are great, but if the recommendations within the report aren’t implemented, then they are useless,” she said.