News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Amendments to the Coroners Act received Royal Assent and took effect today. The amendments, which include a provision known as Hillary’s Law, will help modernize the way inquests are held.

The Hillary’s Law provision will create a mandatory requirement for a coroner to conduct an inquest under specified circumstances related to nonnatural deaths in custody, in a hospital facility or where use of force may have been a factor.

“We acknowledge the strong interest of the families and the public to know the circumstances surrounding such unfortunate deaths,” said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin. “Amendments related to the operation of inquests have not been made in many years and needed to be addressed.”

Other amendments include:

• protecting the identity of jurors;
• removing the three-hour time limit for deliberations by an inquest jury; and
• allowing for the appointment of more than one deputy chief coroner to help address the increasing number of inquests.

The previous act compelled a mandatory inquest by a coroner where a death occurred in the course of employment in a woodland operation, sawmill, lumber processing plant, food processing plant, fish processing plant, construction project site, mining plant or mine, including a pit or quarry. These provisions remain in effect.

Amendments to the Coroners Act were last made in 2020 to establish the Child Death Review Committee and the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee.

Coroner Services is responsible for the investigation of all reportable deaths in the province to determine the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means their death occurred. All deaths that are unnatural, unexpected, unexplained, or unattended must be reported to Coroner Services.