BRIEF: City of Hamilton to Participate in Coroner’s Inquest – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

April 27, 2024
Hamilton City Council discussed “City Participation in a Coroner’s Inquest” during its closed session meeting on Wednesday (April 24).
This was the second time Council discussed this litigation matter behind closed doors.
On February 7, 2024, the City Solicitor listed the item as a “litigation update.”
Ward 7 Councillor John-Paul Danko publicly asked the City Solicitor why she titled it a ‘litigation update.’
“The title of this item, ‘ a litigation matter,’ kind of leaves it open to speculation what that might be,” Danko stated.
City Solicitor Lisa Shields responded, “This is a very sensitive matter, that if I were to disclose a lot more, it would identify the individual involved.”
Behind the scenes, councillors sought to have the type of litigation revealed.
This explains why this week’s update was titled “City Participation in a Coroner’s Inquest.”
Coroner’s Inquests are open to the public and are now often livestreamed.
The City’s decision to withhold which Inquest it will participate in is not mandated by any legislation, it is a choice that city management recommended to Council, and that council approved.
Looking at the Ontario Coroner’s list of upcoming inquests, it is possible the City plans to participate in the Attila Csanyi inquest. The Csanyi inquest begins Tuesday (April 30). The Coroner will livestream the proceedings.
On May 2, 2020, Csanyi was “found without vital signs on the roof of Jackson Square Mall in Hamilton. He was pronounced deceased after unsuccessful resuscitation efforts.”
Csanyi was 28-years-old.
A documentary on how systems failed Csanyi – who grew up in the foster care system – is streaming on Crave.
The Globe and Mail’s film critic describes it: “in terms of understanding and confronting the harsh reality that so many Canadians endure today, Attila is remarkable, verging on essential, filmmaking.”