A public coroner's inquest is being held in Humboldt March 3-7 to further examine the deaths of three residents of St. Mary's Villa, a long-term care home, following a carbon monoxide (CO) leak in 2010.
Father Roman Schneider, Monica Washkosky and Gertrude Lukan all died in hospital, after residents were evacuated on Dec. 26, 2010 when a SaskEnergy technician was able to confirm that the flu-like symptoms staff and residents had been experiencing was the result of a CO leak caused by a faulty boiler.
Schneider died within minutes of his arrival to the hospital, while Washkosky and Lukan succumbed to their conditions in the ensuing weeks.
In July 2013, the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority was fined $154,000 for multiple offenses stemming from the incident; the health region plead guilty to two counts under The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996, relating to a failure to ensure workers were trained in matters of gas leaks, and failure to arrange for regular examination of a facility under its control.
Since the incident at St. Mary's Villa, the Saskatoon Health Region has made it mandatory that CO detectors be installed in all over-night facilities in their jurisdiction, and that regular inspections of these buildings are conducted to ensure their safety.
Although the three deceased residents were elderly and had prior ailments, it's always been assumed that CO poisoning was a contributing factor to hasten their deaths.
However, it has never been officially confirmed, which is why the coroner's inquest is now taking place.
The purpose of the inquest, it was mentioned in a recent media release, is to not only examine the details of the events, but to establish "the medical cause of death and the manner of death," so the coroner's jury (comprised of six members of the community) can make recommendations on how to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.
The public inquest is being held at the Humboldt Uniplex all next week, March 3-7, beginning at 10 a.m.
Coroner Alma Wiebe of Saskatoon will be presiding.
