Stanley trial sparks emails, letters

Province says it received ‘nearly 1,000’ pieces of correspondence in two months

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice has received nearly 1,000 emails and letters about the Gerald Stanley trial over the last three months.

“As we are still receiving correspondence on this, it is difficult for us to provide an exact, current figure,” ministry spokesperson Noel Busse wrote in an email.

The “nearly 1,000” figure represents emails and letters received between Jan. 1 and March 8, Busse wrote. He would not comment on whether that volume of communication concerning a single case is typical.

“We are unable to accurately compare this to the amount of correspondence received on other topics without doing a manual count and categorization of all the correspondence the Ministry has received,” Busse wrote.

Stanley’s trial began at Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench at the end of January. Two weeks later, the jury found him not guilty in the August 2016 shooting death of Colten Boushie, a Cree man from Red Pheasant First Nation.

Stanley told the jury he fatally shot Boushie by accident after Boushie and four others drove onto his property in the Rural Municipality of Glenside on Aug. 9, 2016 and at least one person in the party attempted to steal his quad.

Stanley said he grabbed a pistol because he feared for the safety of himself and his family. He said he fired warning shots into the air and then approached the SUV Boushie was in with the intention of grabbing the keys and turning the vehicle off. He said he believed his gun was empty when it discharged as a result of a hang fire — a rare phenomenon where there is a delay between when the trigger is pulled and when the gun fires. A bullet fatally struck Boushie in the back of the head.

Stanley’s acquittal was met with anger, sadness and disbelief by Boushie’s family, many Indigenous people and others, who said the case was proof that Indigenous people are not treated fairly by Canada’s justice system. Although they lobbied for an appeal, the Crown announced this month that it found no grounds for one.

AIDS Saskatoon is hosting a panel discussion to share resources and information with the public to help prevent the use of fentanyl and teach how naloxone kits can help to reverse an overdose.

“This issue is if (fentanyl) does start hitting the community in a bigger way, we know that we are not in the situation as a community right now to handle it,” said AIDS Saskatoon executive director Jason Mercredi.

He explains that this discussion is just one step in preparing for the ill effects fentanyl can have in a community. He said he’s received warnings from other allied organizations across Canada already dealing with fentanyl use and overdoses on a much larger scale.

Taking place Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Frances Morrison Library, the panel will include insights from experts including Dr. Peter Butt, a college of medicine faculty member with an expertise in addictions, Dr. Morris Markentin, the lead physician at the Saskatoon Community Clinic, Julia Holiday-Scott, the support services co-ordinator for AIDS Saskatoon, Brenda McAllister, a manager at the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Toni Vandale, a mental health and wellness student.

During the discussion, attendees will learn how to get a naloxone kit, how both fentanyl and naloxone work within the body and how they can prepare themselves within the community. There will also be a question-and-answer session at the end of the panel.

“You might not think you’re at risk, but anybody who knows someone who uses cocaine, or uses cocaine themselves or any other illegal substance, is at risk for a fentanyl overdose,” Mercredi said. “So, they should get trained and get a (naloxone) kit.” For those unable to attend, the discussion will be live-streamed through the AIDS Saskatoon Facebook page.