Saskatoon freezing deaths
Encyclopedia
The Saskatoon freezing deaths were a series of deaths amongst Canadian Aboriginal
people in Saskatoon
. There have been accusations these deaths may have been caused by members of the Saskatoon Police Service
, indeed, some of them were (see case of Neil Stonechild below). The accusation is that officers would arrest aboriginal men and drive them out of the city in the dead of winter to abandon them. The practice is known as starlight tours
.
Some of the Aboriginal men that have died of hypothermia
are Rodney Naistus, Lawrence Wegner and Neil Stonechild
. Rodney Naistus and Lawrence Wegner died in 2000 and their bodies were discovered on the outskirts of Saskatoon. However, inquests in 2001 and 2002 into their deaths were unable to determine the circumstances. The inquest jury's recommendations all related to police policies and police/Aboriginal relations.
Neil Stonechild's body was found in 1990 in a field outside Saskatoon. A 2003 inquest was not able to determine the circumstances that lead to his death. In January 2000, Darrel Night was dropped off on the outskirts of Saskatoon but was able to survive. The two officers involved were convicted of unlawful confinement in September 2001 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
The Saskatoon police initially insisted these were isolated incidents. But in 2003, Police Chief Russell Sabo admitted that there was a possibility that the force had been dumping First Nations people outside the city for years, after revealing that in 1976 an officer was disciplined for taking a Native woman to the outskirts of the city and abandoning her there.
The incidents were documented in two films: Tasha Hubbard's National Film Board of Canada
documentary Two Worlds Colliding, winner of the Canada Award
, and the half-hour drama Out In The Cold, directed by Colleen Murphy and starring Gordon Tootoosis.
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
people in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. There have been accusations these deaths may have been caused by members of the Saskatoon Police Service
Saskatoon Police Service
Saskatoon Police Service is the municipal police force in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada and holds both municipal and provincial jurisdiction. Police Chief Clive Weighill is the head of the force. The deputy chiefs are Deputy Chief Gary Broste , and Deputy Chief Bernie Pannell...
, indeed, some of them were (see case of Neil Stonechild below). The accusation is that officers would arrest aboriginal men and drive them out of the city in the dead of winter to abandon them. The practice is known as starlight tours
Starlight tours
A starlight tour is the non-sanctioned police practice of picking up individuals in their cruisers, mostly homeless, drug addicts, or other such marginalized people, and taking them outside of town where they would be beaten and/or abandoned on the side of the road.A suspected case in Canada...
.
Some of the Aboriginal men that have died of hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
are Rodney Naistus, Lawrence Wegner and Neil Stonechild
Neil Stonechild
Neil Stonechild was a Cree Canadian First Nations teenager who died of hypothermia. There were accusations that the Saskatoon Police Service may have taken him to the northwest section of the city and abandoned him in a field on a night when temperatures were below −28°C...
. Rodney Naistus and Lawrence Wegner died in 2000 and their bodies were discovered on the outskirts of Saskatoon. However, inquests in 2001 and 2002 into their deaths were unable to determine the circumstances. The inquest jury's recommendations all related to police policies and police/Aboriginal relations.
Neil Stonechild's body was found in 1990 in a field outside Saskatoon. A 2003 inquest was not able to determine the circumstances that lead to his death. In January 2000, Darrel Night was dropped off on the outskirts of Saskatoon but was able to survive. The two officers involved were convicted of unlawful confinement in September 2001 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
The Saskatoon police initially insisted these were isolated incidents. But in 2003, Police Chief Russell Sabo admitted that there was a possibility that the force had been dumping First Nations people outside the city for years, after revealing that in 1976 an officer was disciplined for taking a Native woman to the outskirts of the city and abandoning her there.
The incidents were documented in two films: Tasha Hubbard's National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
documentary Two Worlds Colliding, winner of the Canada Award
Canada Award
The Canada Award is presented by Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television during its Gemini Awards to honour excellence in "mainstream" English-language television programming that "reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada." It was introduced in 1988 as the Multiculturalism Award, and...
, and the half-hour drama Out In The Cold, directed by Colleen Murphy and starring Gordon Tootoosis.