Lawyers confident Bonneau inquest findings can be done

Two weeks of testimony has led jurors at the coroner’s inquest into Lee Bonneau’s death to develop 19 recommendations to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

But just how those are implemented and when they might turn into policy is something that has yet to be determined.

The inquest was called after the six-year-old was beaten to death on the Kahkewistahaw First Nation in August 2013, suspected to be at the hands of a 10-year-old boy. Both boys were either in the care of or receiving support from social services at the time.

On Friday, the inquest concluded after nearly 30 witnesses testified and gave their account of the circumstances leading up to Lee’s untimely death.  After hearing the evidence and deliberating for several hours the six-person jury revealed their recommendations, which are directed towards the Ministry of Social Services (MSS), the Yorkton Tribal Council Child and Family Services (YTCCFS) and the RCMP. They centre around better information sharing and record keeping, better incentives for rural foster parents, and more funding for specialized support staff on First Nations.

Several of the lawyers representing the affected parties described the recommendations as “thoughtful.”

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But can they be implemented?

“The vast majority of them, I think, are implementable,” said Sheri Woods, lawyer for the boy believed to have killed Lee.

She explained some of them are broadly worded and might be more difficult to implement than others, however she’s still confident most of the recommendations will stick. They’ll soon be forwarded to the Office of the Chief Coroner.

“The recommendations all go to the Chief Coroner and the Chief Coroner sends them to the institutions to whom they are directed and then follows up regularly,” said inquest coroner Alma Wiebe.

The lawyer representing the YTCCFS insists several of the recommendations were already looked into shortly after Lee died.

“Many of the things that were raised over the course of the inquest were things that the agency had already identified and had been working to improve,” said Joanne Moser.

One of the recommendations called for increased funding efforts for a facility dealing with kids under 12 with complex needs. However, a representative from the MSS revealed Friday that a facility like that already exists in Saskatchewan. The YTCCFS gets its funding from the federal government and would be left in Ottawa’s hands to make any kind of money-related decisions.

More comments are expected this week from MSS along with Children’s Advocate Bob Pringle on whether the jury’s recommendations are feasible, appropriate and practical.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @KevinMartel