Download the Family Information Sheet with contact information of the Office of Chief Coroner here.
In December of 2025, the Ontario government announced plans to change the Coroners Act to end mandatory inquests into non-natural deaths in Ontario jails and Ontario federal prisons.
In January for 2026, the Ministry of the Solicitor General (SOLGEN) and the Office of Chief Coroner (OCC) held stakeholder engagement sessions. The OCC is housed within SOLGEN. According to both the OCC and SOLGEN, the intended purpose of this stakeholder engagement process was to gather feedback on a proposed legislative change that would remove mandatory inquests into non-natural deaths in correctional institutions and replace them with annual coroner-led reviews. The engagement sessions sought to understand stakeholder concerns and expectations, identify operational requirements and implementation recommendations, assess any potential consequences of a coroner-led review in relation to transparency, accountability, and public confidence.  Multiple organizations participated, including the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
To address multiple concerns arising from the proposed change, impacted communities posted an open letter.
A primary concern from the engagement sessions were that families of those who have died in custody were not invited or included in the initial round of consultation. Tracking (In)Justice also identified this concern in our submission, and has since been actively communicating with the OCC about the importance of hearing from families.
As a result, the OCC has created an Engagement on Proposed Changes to Reviews of Deaths in Correctional Institutions Family Information Sheet with contact information for any families who have lost a loved one in Ontario jails or Ontario federal prisons, to get in contact with the OCC to provide feedback. Please share the Family Information Sheet with families and get in contact if you are awaiting a coroners inquest, or if you have concerns with the removal of mandatory inquests for deaths in Ontario correctional facilities.
Download the Family Information Sheet with contact information of the Office of Chief Coroner here.