Wettlaufer inquiry told co-workers 'betrayed' by disgraced nurse who murdered patients

The opening day of the public inquiry into theactions of Elizabeth Wettlaufer, who admitted to killing nursing home patients over a period of years, heard from lawyers representingOntario long-term care homes who said her co-workers were betrayed by the disgraced nurse.

"A group of health-care providers were utterly betrayed by a fellow registered nurse who was supposedly working side by side, or so they thought, to accomplish the same goals of providing quality care," said David Golden, lawyer for CarresentCare, the Woodstock facility whereWettlaufercommitted her first murder.

The Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry, established on Aug. 1, 2017, afterWettlaufer was sentenced to eight concurrent life terms, isheaded by Justice Eileen Gillese. It's set to hear from 17 parties over nine weeks.

Tuesday's first day began with introductory statements froma number of witnesses,long-term care agencies and regulatory bodies.

Gilleseopeningthe inquiry by saying itwill aim to re-establish trust in a system that failed Ontarians.

Facinga room full of the victims'family members, health-care administrators and government officials,she said the goal isn't to findwrongdoing in the legal process that saw Wettlauferplead guilty toeightcounts of first-degree murder,four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault.

Instead, it's to investigate the failings of the Ontario long-term care system, Gillese said.

"We can begin to heal the moment we begin to feel heard," she saidfrom the Elgin County Courthouse.

"That's what these public hearings are about. Healing our broken trust in the long-term care system."

• LONG READ | How did a mild-mannered nurse from small-town Ontario become one of Canada's worst serial killers?

Mark Sandler, lawyer for the College of Nurses of Ontario, the profession's governing body in the province,was among those at the hearing Tuesday who stressedthe need to ensure no one else is harmed while in care.

"The College of Nurses will take to heart the findings of these proceedings and will address any systemic issues that are identified in the course of the proceedings," Sandlersaid.

The nine members of the inquiry's core team also heard brieflyfromthe coroner's office, the Ontario Nurses Association union, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

In the coming weeks, those expected to testify include patient Beverly Bertram, who survivedWettlaufer'sattempt on her life at her home in Oxford County in 2016, as well as a nurse who saved victimSandraTowlerfrom a near-lethal injection atTelferPlace in Paris, Ont.,in September 2015.

During the inquiry, morethan 900 pages of evidence will be made public, including Wettlaufer'sconfession,transcripts of her interviews, reasons for her sentence when she was convicted and a timeline showing the key events related to the offences.

"Ms. Wettlaufer pleaded guilty and is in jail for life with no chance of parole for 25 years, but that still doesn't answer the questions about how she was able to get away with this for eight or nine years in the system and nobody knew about it," said Mark Zigler, the commission's co-lead counsel.

Recommendations

Wettlauferinjected patients with enough insulin to kill them, atlong-term care facilities and private homes insouthwestern Ontario between 2007 and 2014.

She was fired twice but kept her licence as a registered nurse.

Shepleaded guilty inJune2017to14 charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault. The crimes took place between 2007 and 2014.

The inquiry will look into what happened in each case, and will make recommendations into preventing future such incidents,Zigler said.

"There may be changes to how medications are handled, how things are done in terms of the college of nurses, how things go on in long-term care facilitiesor how the government regulates those facilities," he said.

There will also be testimony from experts who deal with the phenomenon of killings in health-care settings, Zigler said.

The inquiry is open to the public.

Hearings will take place mostly in June and July, anda week each in August and September.

Watch live tweets from Day 1 of the public inquiry here: