Inquest into First Nations students deaths may be delayed

A coroner's inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students inThunder Bay couldbe further delayed after aSuperior Court judge's ruling that the current jury roll is flawed.

The regional supervising coroner for northwestern Ontario, Michael Wilson, said no firm date had been set for the inquest, but he had planned to start this year.

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Wilson saidthat`s now doubtful afterSuperior Court Justice,John McCartney, stayed the murder trial of Shaldon Wabasonfor one year in April, saying the 2014 jury roll did not adequately represent First Nations people living on reserve.

In his ruling, McCartney hadsaid the Court Services Division hadnot done enough to address the long-standing concern about fair representation. The issue was highlighted more than a year ago in a scathing report by retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice Frank Iacobucci,saying the justice system was failing Aboriginal people.

Wilson said although other aspects of the upcoming inquest into the deaths of the First Nations students still need to be worked out, including its scope, the jury roll issue must be addressed first.