
Coroner's inquest into 2021 correctional centre death set to begin
CBC
A coroner's inquest is set to begin in P.E.I. Supreme Court on Monday that will look into the death of 47-year-old Kenny Hoddinott.
Hoddinott, originally from Newfoundland, died at the Provincial Correctional Centre in December 2021 from a cardiac event.
No inquest was going to take place originally, but Justice Minister Bloyce Thompson said in January 2022 he had changed his mind.
A jury will be selected Monday and witnesses are expected to appear, according to a release from the Department of Justice and Public Safety. Chief Coroner Dr. Brandon Webber will preside over the inquest, which is scheduled over two days.
Last year, Thompson said he hoped to provide transparency and prevent future deaths at the correctional centre. "I think the public deserves to know the circumstances around it," he said.
But at the time, Hoddinott's family told CBC News there was no need for an inquest.
"An inquest is not going to make him come back," said Maureen Poirier, Hoddinott's ex-wife. The couple has three grown children, who Poirier said struggled with the political and media attention surrounding his death.
Poirier said Hoddinott was a chronic alcoholic who had struggled with the disease for decades. She said he had been in and out of multiple addictions centres in Ontario and New Brunswick for the past 10 years.
"If he was a man that was healthy and had ended up in jail for whatever reason and in the morning he was dead, you'd wonder what happened," she said.
Thompson said correctional centre staff "did everything they could" when Hoddinott was found unresponsive during a routine checkup, but he was pronounced dead just hours after being detained for public intoxication.
When the inquest was first announced, the minister said he hoped it could have wider influence.
"Whatever recommendations come from the coroner, we can use to make sure this never happens again," he said.