Douglas Minty Inquest - Falconers LLP

June 19, 2014

On May 6, 2014, the Inquest into the death of Douglas Minty commenced at the Simcoe County Council Chambers in Midhurst, Ontario. The Inquest inquired into the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Mr. Minty by Cst. Seguin of the Ontario Provincial Police on June 22, 2009. The Inquest presided over by Dr. William Lucas heard from approximately 20 witnesses.

The unrelated shooting deaths of Douglas Minty and Levi Schaeffer in 2009 led to a four-year legal battle waged by two families whose mentally-ill family members were shot and killed by O.P.P. officers. After a lengthy process and legal battle, the Supreme Court of Canada ultimately heard the case, rejecting police arguments that would have upheld the ongoing police practice of consulting with counsel prior to preparing police notebooks in cases where members of the public are shot by police. The Supreme Court identified that this practice, which resulted at times in double sets of police notebooks, was a breach of the statutory duties of police officers and created a real risk that police notes would not be an accurate account of the events but rather would be tailored to the police officer’s interest in justifying the shooting.

Lawyers Julian Falconer, Julian Roy, and Marc Gibson of Falconers LLP represented the Minty and Schaeffer families throughout their legal battles before the Superior Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court of Canada, as well as both families in respect of the independent Inquests into the deaths of Levi Schaeffer and Douglas Minty.

On June 19, 2014 the jury at the Inquest into the Death of Douglas Minty delivered its verdict and recommendations in relation to Mr. Minty’s fatal shooting by police. The jury rendered a verdict of homicide, and recommended improvements to the training and policies governing police dispatch communications. The jury also recommended that police training be developed to address interactions with developmentally disabled persons.