Superior Court and Coroner

Ontario legislation: Current Ontario legislation requires the coroner to be notified of non-natural deaths, such as when someone dies from drug toxicity, according to The Chronicle Herald. When that happens, the coroner is obliged to take possession of the body and investigate. In his application to Superior Court to be heard this week, the unidentified terminally ill grandfather calls it absurd and distressing that his death might lead to a full-blown coroner investigation, which could include drug testing and an autopsy. "To issue a warrant for a body, conduct an investigation, hold an inquest, or even undertake an autopsy and toxicology report, would be completely uncalled for given that the applicant death will be the culmination of one of the most carefully scrutinized and supervised deaths one could ever imagine," his lawyers argue in court filings. In an email to the man lawyers, Ontario chief coroner, Dirk Huyer, says an investigation typically involves police, as well as the dissection of the body and toxicology testing. Last year, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down laws that bar doctors from helping someone die, but put the ruling on hold for one year. At the same time, he says he cannot predict what might occur in this case. "If the coroner becomes involved with a physician-assisted death, the coroner cannot determine in advance whether an autopsy will be necessary," Huyer writes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.