"SMITH'S ERRORS WENT UNCHECKED FOR YEARS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF OVERSIGHT, MAINLY FROM THE FORMER CHIEF CORONER AND HIS DEPUTY. THE NEW COUNCIL WILL OVERSEE THE WORK OF THE CHIEF CORONER AND CHIEF FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST AND HOLD THEM TO ACCOUNT FOR THE QUALITY OF INVESTIGATIONS."
HEALTH REPORTER THERESA BOYLE: TORONTO STAR;
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"The provincial government has passed sweeping amendments to the Coroners Act aimed at preventing miscarriages of justice, such as those caused in large measure by mistakes made by former pathologist Dr. Charles Smith," Health Reporter Theresa Boyle reports in today's Star.
""If we don't learn from past history, we are bound to repeat it," Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci said yesterday," Boyle's story continues;
"The amendments will deliver on many of the recommendations made last year by Justice Stephen Goudge, who oversaw an inquiry into pediatric forensic pathology, sparked by errors Smith made in 20 child-death investigations. A major feature is the establishment of an oversight council.
Smith's errors went unchecked for years because of a lack of oversight, mainly from the former chief coroner and his deputy. The new council will oversee the work of the chief coroner and chief forensic pathologist and hold them to account for the quality of investigations.
The act will also set up for the first time a registry of qualified forensic pathologists. There are about 200 forensic pathologists in Ontario but only about 12 of them are qualified to work on criminally suspicious coroners' cases.
The amended act also paves the way for a complaints committee to track complaints about coroners and pathologists."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
