SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - One year after Michael Luzny, 18, and Randy Leisk Jr., 15, died on Great Slave Lake there are still unanswered questions about their deaths, and the door hasn't been closed on a coroner's inquest.

Darlene Leisk hopes there will be answers to lingering questions surrounding the deaths of her son, Randy Jr., and Michael Luzny. - NNSL file photo

The NWT Coroner's Office is re-examining the case.

NWT chief coroner Garth Eggenberger said the case is being reviewed by coroner Cathy Menard.

"I've assigned the coroner to do a review of it," said Eggenberger. "I've reviewed the file, but I have a coroner doing it and once she finishes then we'll have another look at it ... She's going through the whole case and then she'll be issuing a report."

Leisk and Luzny were at the Sacred Fire Healing Camp, a place for troubled youth run by Bertha Blondin and her son Grant, when they died.

Luzny was left in charge. The two teens, along with another youth, Nazon Goulet, took a boat to Behchoko for supplies.

The trio made it back and attempted a second trip to Behchoko and ran out of gas.

They spent the night on an island in the North Arm and attempted to paddle the boat back. Luzny and Leisk attempted to swim to shore when they spotted land, while Goulet remained in the boat. Goulet survived, drifting to shore near North Arm Park.

Volunteer searchers from Yellowknife and Behchoko found the bodies of Luzny and Leisk July 12, 2007, also near North Arm Park.

Eggenberger said Menard may or may not call for an inquest once her review is finished. If not, the family can issue an appeal. Eggenberger said setbacks in the coroner's review are due to developments in the case.

"There's been delays in getting statements from some of the witnesses and we're just finally getting the RCMP police report on that," he said.

"With the family asking questions then the police have to continue to investigate. The more time that the questions are being asked the longer it's going to take.

We try and make sure that all the questions are answered before the coroner issues the report."

He added that the families of the deceased are able to look at the file and go through it with staff at the coroner's office, which is what the Luzny family previously did. Eggenberger said it will depend on Menard's findings as to how long it will take before an inquest may be called.

Darlene and Randy Leisk, Randy Leisk Jr.'s parents, have since moved to Montreal. Darlene said an inquest is long overdue.

"I'm still a caring mother; I want to know," Darlene said. "I want to put Junior to rest and move on with my life.

"I would find it very troubling if there wasn't (an inquest)," said Darlene.

"Because of too many different stories and where the bodies were found ... there's still questions."

She said Goulet has never spoken with her about what happened on the boat.

Darlene expressed frustration that the territorial government has never answered the question as to why eight youth were left alone at the camp under Luzny's supervision.

Since Luzny was working at the camp, the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) investigated the incident.

Dave Grundy, director of communications and information for the commission, said the WSCC investigation into Luzny's drowning is now closed and did not result in any charges.

"We can't talk about individual cases or findings unless there was a charge laid, of course, then it becomes public knowledge and in this case there was no charges laid," said Grundy.

The organization that ran Sacred Fire Healing Camp was the Nats'eju' Dahk'e Association. The phone number listed for the association in the NWT 2008-09 directory is no longer in service.

The North Slave Métis Alliance owned the property where the camp was located.

When contacted, the organization said the camp is "for sure" no longer in operation. The individual at the Metis Alliance office who confirmed this hung up when asked for his name.