Suicide inquest is delayed
Coroner says subject sensitive but needs discussion
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 6, 2014
KINNGAIT/CAPE DORSET
Nunavut chief coroner Padma Suramala has announced that a coroner's inquest into the cause and possible prevention of the high rate of suicide in the territory is being delayed until next year.
Chief coroner Padma Suramala told a news conference in Iqaluit Oct. 2 that the death of an 11-year-old boy by suicide in Cape Dorset on the Sept. 26 weekend is "unbelievable." - Michele LeTourneau/NNSL photo |
The move comes in the wake of the tragic death by suicide of an 11-year-old Cape Dorset boy, one month before his 12th birthday on the weekend of Sept. 26.
The chief coroner announced last January, following three deaths by suicide since the beginning of the year, that she would launch a discretionary inquest to be held this fall in Iqaluit. At a news conference Oct. 2 in Iqaluit, she said that inquest is postponed to early 2015.
Suramala began the press conference by conveying her deepest sympathies to everyone affected by suicide in the North.
"The youngest Nunavummiut to die by suicide were 11 years old," she said, referring to the Cape Dorset death and another last year in Repulse Bay.
Calling such young suicides "unbelievable," Suramala noted that to date in 2014 there have been 19 suicides in Nunavut, with the worst of the devastation felt by Iqaluit (4), Pond Inlet (3) and Rankin Inlet (3).
The primary reason for the delay of the discretionary inquest is a mandatory inquest into the death of Solomon Uyarasuk to be held Nov. 24 to 28 in Iglulik. The 26-year-old died Sept. 23, 2012 inside an RCMP jail cell in Iglulik while in custody.
Suramala also said "there are challenges regarding participants testifying for the inquest due to the sensitivity surrounding suicide."
Many family members called by the coroner to give insight into the lives of suicide victims have declined to participate in the process.
The purpose of a coroner's inquest is to establish facts related to the incident with an eye toward prevention. Criminal charges or other legal action cannot result from a coroner's inquest.
The chief coroner said after going through the files of 2013's unprecedented 45 cases, she increased the number of cases to be examined by the inquest to five from the original three, in order to better capture all the risk factors.
"The coroner's office reviewed all 45 cases from 2013 and picked five cases from all three regions for the purpose of the inquest. This is being done to cover all risk factors and bring positive recommendations to prevent further suicides in Nunavut. These five cases are undergoing a thorough investigation."
Suramala emphasized that responsibility for action rests with "trusted agencies" and not the coroner's office, which is tasked only to investigate deaths.
Suicide, she said, "is a sensitive topic. However, we all need to talk and explore better options to deal with the current situation."
