An inquest into the death of a 27-year-old man who was in custody at the Thunder Bay Jail has been postponed due to the sudden death of his partner.
Kevin Mamakwa, nephew of Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa, died on June 2, 2020.
Under the Ontario Coroners Act, inquests for people who died in custody or jail are mandatory.
The inquest, set to be heard over the next two weeks, was adjourned soon after it started on Monday. It reconvened Tuesday morning, with presiding officer Michael Wilson announcing it’d been postponed.
Kevin’s partner, the mother of his children, was found dead on Sunday, Wilson said.
“Clearly, this is a devastating event for the family. It would not be in the interests of anyone of the inquest or of the family for us to proceed at this time.”
A new date has yet to be determined, but Wilson said proceedings may resume in June, six years after Kevin’s death. It is uncertain whether they will be held in person or virtually.
“My deepest condolences to the family members affected, to the community members affected and to all who have been affected by this recent turn of events,” said Wilson.
Kevin was a member of Kingfisher Lake First Nation, a remote Oji-Cree community in Treaty 9 territory about 350 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout.
In an interview on CBC’s Superior Morning in June 2020, Sol described his nephew as someone who was “really involved in sports.” He also was dealing with mental health and addiction issues, said the NDP member of provincial parliament, who was first elected in 2018.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN), a political territorial organization that represents 49 First Nations in Treaties 9 and 5, issued a joint statement on Tuesday with Kevin’s father, Jonathon Mamakwa, who is Sol’s brother.
“Reliving the circumstances around Kevin’s tragic passing will be a painful, but necessary process that will help provide answers … and explore systemic issues within the correction system and hold the appropriate people and institutions accountable,” the statement says.
“This includes the lack of services and access to care that many First Nations members experience while living in urban centres across northern Ontario. It was necessary to temporarily postpone these proceedings, but this does not lessen our resolve to get the answers we need.”
As MPP, Sol has called for the Thunder Bay Jail to be shut down due to safety concerns.
As construction continues on a new 345-bed correctional complex in the city, jail staff learned on Friday that the existing jail and correctional centre will remain open to address overcrowding at Thunder Bay correctional facilities.
In a coroner’s inquest, witnesses provide information about the circumstances surrounding a person’s death, after which a five-person jury is tasked with identifying who died, when and where the person died, their medical cause of death and means of death.
Jurors will then classify how the death happened: due to natural causes, accident, homicide, suicide or undetermined. They may also make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths.
Kevin’s inquest was originally expected to last 10 days and hear from about 15 witnesses.
Ontario is seeking feedback on a potential amendment to the Coroners Act that may replace mandatory inquests into jail deaths with coroner-led annual reviews.
If annual reviews are implemented, inquests could still be held “at the request of families or when deemed necessary by the chief coroner,” according to Saddam Khussain, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
