Released on November 24, 2014
A public inquest into the death of Billy Ballantyne has been scheduled for December 1-5, at 10 a.m. at the Prince Albert Court House.On November 29, 2012, Mr. Ballantyne, 44, was feeling ill and transported by ambulance to the Prince Albert Victoria Union Hospital. That evening, hospital security contacted the police service to report a disturbance. Police officers arrived on scene and transported Mr. Ballantyne to cells. A couple hours later, Mr. Ballantyne was having trouble breathing and an ambulance was called. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Section 20 of The Coroners Act, 1999, states that the Chief Coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the person's death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable.
The Office of the Chief Coroner is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, unexpected deaths. In addition to establishing who died, when and where the individual died, the medical cause of death and the manner of death, the coroner's jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Coroner Timothy Hawryluk of Saskatoon will preside at the inquest.
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For more information, contact:
Jordan Jackle
Justice
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8621
Email: jordan.jackle@gov.sk.ca