ABOUT INQUESTS

Q: What is a coroner’s inquest/fatality inquiry?

A: A hearing into an unexpected, sudden or unexplained death, it aims to find out the circumstances surrounding a death and make recommendations to prevent future deaths. Unlike a trial, it is strictly fact-finding: There is no assigning of blame or fault. Depending on the province, some inquests are presided over by coroners and involve a panel of jurors, while others are presided over by provincial judges or lawyers. Inquests have probed police shootings, deaths of children in foster care, fatal fires in retirement homes, accidents in underground mines and in-custody deaths, such as the high-profile case of Ashley Smith, the young woman who strangled herself in front of prison guards. Some take a few days, while others have stretched over months.

Q: What types of cases trigger inquests/inquiries?

A: Typically, in-custody deaths will trigger an inquest. Some fatalities that were the result of police use of force may result in one. Ontario requires that all mining and construction-related fatalities go to an inquest. If officials believe drawing attention to a case may help prevent future deaths, they may call an inquest. Children who have died while in government care and seniors who have died while in care homes are examples.

Q: How much do inquests/inquiries cost?

A: Postmedia News asked several provinces to provide estimates of how much they spent on inquests/ inquiries during the 2012/13 fiscal year:

British Columbia: $266,388 (20 inquests, average of $18,000 per inquest)

Alberta: $760,000 (19 inquests, average of $40,000 per inquest)

Saskatchewan: $80,000 (Four inquests, average of $20,000 per inquest)

Ontario: $503,000 (37 inquests, average of $13,500 per inquest)

Quebec: Required Postmedia News to submit a formal request; said no records could be located

Q: What documents related to inquests/inquiries do provinces make public?

A: B.C., Alberta and Manitoba post verdicts/recommendations on a website; copies are available upon request in Saskatchewan and Quebec; Ontario directs people to the CanLII website. After recommendations are issued, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec ask agencies to provide written responses. Manitoba posts those responses online. Written responses in other provinces are available to the public if it asks (except Quebec, which requires a more formal request). Alberta stopped asking for written responses in 2011.