LLOYDMINSTER – An inquest will reveal that it’s the RCMP’s fault 19-year-old Randy Wolfe died in an Onion Lake RCMP cell and his family needs support to prepare them for what they will hear, said Onion Lake Cree Nation Coun. Hubert Pahtayken when asking for an adjournment of the inquest.
The five-day inquest into Wolfe's death was scheduled to start Monday in Lloydminster, Sask., but Coroner Blaine Beaven "reluctantly" adjourned it. It has been adjourned to early 2023.
Wolfe was found unresponsive in his cell at the Onion Lake RCMP Detachment on Oct. 12, 2019. Medical personnel responded and after completing an assessment pronounced him deceased.
Pahtayken told the coroner that disclosure will reveal “this is how your son died, at the hands of the RCMP. They know that. What the inquest will justify is what we assume.”
The inquest will “expose someone is at fault,” he said.
Onion Lake Cree Nation plans to seek standing at the inquest and will represent Wolfe's mother Elaine McAdam, said Pahtayken, adding that they want their own lawyers to question witnesses.
“Yes, we are going to find the answers. After the inquest is done we can say ‘yes these guys are at fault’ then what, what then after you re-victimize my niece [Wolfe’s mother Elaine McAdam], then what?”
Pahtayken said an adjournment is needed to give Onion Lake Cree Nation time to prepare.
“We can get our legal in the room, our [wellness support], and our counsellors, to prepare [Wolfe’s family] for what they are going to hear in disclosure.”
Pahtayken said the system doesn’t understand First Nation’s culture and people.
“Our parents, our grandparents, were victims of the system, of residential school abuse. My grandmother was a victim at residential schools, she was raped by a priest from your guy’s system, so there is intergenerational trauma that happened. Yes, our generation is suffering from that.”
Adjournment could cause a year delay
Beaven informed Pahtayken that an adjournment could mean a delay of more than a year.
Pahtayken said, “That would give us ample time to prepare for the support they need.”
He told the inquest that there are 1,700 pages of information on how Wolfe died and since his nephew’s passing the family have suffered the loss of five family members, which hindered their ability to prepare.
He acknowledged that the province made previous contact with the family to come forward but said since Wolfe’s death they have suffered a lot of grief and the last thing they thought about during their grieving was an inquest.
“We feel, we know, we are not ready for an inquest. We want our own legal representative supporting us and listening.”
‘High degree of emotional turmoil’: Coroner’s counsel
Last week the family’s request for an adjournment was denied and Beaven said that lawyer Eleanore Sunchild handled the request and wasn’t able to convey the reason why the family waited so long to respond to the inquest, which was due to the family’s emotional turmoil.
Coroner’s counsel Robin Ritter told the inquest that the family’s emotional turmoil is significant.
“What I have observed, and this is fairly important, is a very high degree of emotional turmoil and that high degree of emotional turmoil was certainly not before you when the request was made for an adjournment [last week],” said Ritter.
“I did not anticipate seeing that high degree of emotional turmoil. I can tell you that it is real. On one hand, we could proceed with the inquest. We would achieve the objective of the Coroners Act but one of its functions is to educate the public and what I hear with Mr. Pahtayken is he wants justice.
“There is an issue of finding fault and maybe the public will learn through the process of the Corner's Inquest, which is not to find fault but to make recommendations, what can be done to prevent this in future,” added Ritter.
Saskatoon lawyer Amanda Neudorf who represents the RCMP, said they don’t take any position on the family’s request for an adjournment.
After a brief adjournment Beaven said Pahtayken had “portrayed” the family’s situation well.
“This is an incredible amount of grief for a family and a community to bear,” said Beaven.
He pointed out that the inquest will be an emotional process. He said Ritter has also said there is an incredible amount of emotional turmoil and Ritter's experience working with families and on inquests is valuable.
“That emotional turmoil could interfere with the process of the inquest,” said Beaven. “This inquest is not likely to proceed properly and there is a real risk it will be transformed into something that is not the goals of an inquest. The emotional turmoil could derail this inquest and serve no purpose. For that reason I reluctantly adjourn the inquest.”
Purpose of inquests
The coroner's investigation is fact-finding and doesn’t assign fault or blame. Its purpose is to establish who died, when, where, and the medical cause and manner of death. The coroner's jury, which consists of six people, may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths
Beaven said if Onion Lake Cree Nation seeks justice “there are other legal avenues and this inquest will not be transformed into one of those.”
Family pleased with adjournment
After the coroner adjourned the inquest Pahtayken, speaking on behalf of Wolfe’s family, said they were happy with the adjournment.
“The family is really, really, satisfied. They are content with the adjournment because we weren’t prepared. We went through a lof of trauma ever since we lost Randy Jr. The system failed the family and now with the adjournment we can prepare for it, the support will be there for them, so for that reason we are really, really satisfied.”
Randy ‘had a smile that would light up a room’
Wolfe’s obituary on Marshall Funeral Home states that he “had a smile that would light up a room. The sound of his laughter couldn’t be missed.”
Wolfe had a great sense of humour and didn’t like to take life too seriously and had determination to get ahead in life.
He graduated high school in Onion Lake in 2018 and then enrolled in the Husky Oil and Gas program at Lakeland College in Lloydminster. He was the youngest person to finish the program, reads his obituary.
“Randy was the happiest when he got a job at Husky Refinery. He had plans in life that would make him enjoy life. To enjoy his achievements with friends and family. He rarely got upset because with the negative, he would turn to a positive. He's down for a minute but happy most of the time. He also enjoyed his time alone. When he wasn't with friends and family, he was on his X-box, playing his game, and talking to his friends from afar. He had friends from northern Alberta to northern Saskatchewan. Jr. was kind, caring, protective, passionate, and a smart kid; always looking out for the women in our family, good with kids, and always happy.”
