Coroner’s report in on Raphaël André

The coroner’s report is in on the death of Innu man Raphaël André in a portable toilet on a frigid day in January 2021.

André’s severe alcohol intoxication dovetailed with the Covid closure of the nearest shelter, meaning that he had nowhere to go. The coroner, Stéphanie Gamache, called the conditions of André’s death inhumane.

Gamache provided a list of recommendations to help the homeless in general, and avoid such deaths in future. Of course, whether any of them is followed will depend on politics.