Former police Chief named new Chief Coroner
Two months after determining that the Office of the Chief Coroner of Saskatchewan was inadequately funded and not doing its job properly, former Saskatoon police chief Clive Weighill has been appointed to turn the organization around.
The provincial government on Monday announced Weighill’s appointment to the office, which has been vacant since Lorna Hargreaves retired in January. He is expected to take over from acting chief coroner Dale Beck on Sept. 15.
Speaking with reporters, Weighill — who is regarded as having restored stability to and trust in the Saskatoon Police Service after the inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild — acknowledged that trust in the coroner’s office is lacking.
“We want to build the confidence back in the coroner’s office. Unfortunately, it has taken a bit of a hit. I think that’ll be one of my main charges of action … to bring the coroner’s office back to a level that it enjoyed at one time,” Weighill said.
The office has been criticized by at least two families, including that of Nadine Machiskinic, whose death in a 10-storey plunge down the laundry chute of a Regina hotel three years ago was ruled accidental. That inquest raised doubt about the ability of the coroner’s office to do its job. Weighill’s report confirmed many of those fears.
Besides concluding that the $3-million-a-year office needed more money to fulfil its mandate, the almost-50-page document found that the office had “little or no control” over toxicology and pathology tests, and how coroner’s inquests are conducted.
On Monday, however, Weighill appeared to downplay the blistering report he authored after wrapping up a seven-month probe of the coroner’s office, which is responsible for probing unnatural and unexplained deaths, and uncovering dangers.
“The system isn’t broken. It needs some help, and that’s what we’re going to try and do,” Weighill said.
While his appointment is understood to reflect how seriously the provincial government took his investigation as well as its interest in implementing the report’s 44 recommendations, it is not clear how much it will cost or if the money is available. Weighill said he has “been promised nothing right now from the government,” while Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said he couldn’t get into details because of the 30-day writ period ahead of the Sept. 12 Regina Northeast byelection.
“We have accepted all of the recommendations in the report and expect them all to be acted on,” Morgan said before echoing his earlier comments about having discussions with the finance minister and others in government.
“Some of them will take a period of time; some of them can be done relatively quickly. But we remain committed to each of the recommendations. Some of them will certainly have a price to them.”
Weighill also cited the writ period as his reason for declining to offer specifics about his priorities for the office. Asked about the optics of appointing Weighill months after he completed a review of the coroner’s office, Morgan said he does not believe the investigation gave the former police officer an advantage.
Weighill said he only applied for the position after submitting his report and recommendations.