A public inquest will be held starting today in relation to the 11 deaths that occurred on James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon on September 4th, 2022. The inquest is scheduled for January 15 to 26th at the Kerry Vickar Centre in Melfort. If additional time is required for the inquest, the week of January 29 to February 2 has also been reserved.

The Saskatchewan Coroners Act states that an inquest will be held to inform the public of circumstances surrounding a death and bring dangerous practices or conditions to light and facilitate the making of recommendations to avoid preventable deaths. As well, the Act provides the Chief Coroner the authority to hold one inquest for multiple deaths occurring from the same event. The purpose of an inquest is to establish who died, when and where that person died, and the medical cause and manner of death. The coroner’s jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

A separate inquest has been scheduled for the suspect, Myles Sanderson, who died in police custody. The Coroners Act stipulates that an inquest is mandatory regarding the death of a person while in custody. That inquest is scheduled from February 26 to March 1, 2024, in Saskatoon.

According to police, Myles Sanderson killed 11 people including his brother Damien and injured 17 others. The deadly stabbing rampage at James Smith Cree Nation and in nearby Weldon started on September 4, 2022 and ended with Myles Sanderson’s death after being taken into custody on September 7th.