The inquest into the death of Cynthia Blackjack, who died in Carmacks in 2013 is continuing in Whitehorse. The inquest seeks o determine if factors such as institutionalized racism played a role in Blackjack’s death.
The first two days of the inquest took place in Carmacks at the Carmacks Recreation Centre, and the inquest will continue in Whitehorse until its expected end date on the 31st of January. As of Friday morning, six people were selected to sit as the jury at the Coroner’s Inquest – 3 residents of Whitehorse and 3 residents of Dawson City.
The first two days of the inquest took place in Carmacks at the Carmacks Recreation Centre. The public proceedings will continue at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse until its expected end date on the 31st of January. As of Friday morning, six people were selected to sit as the jury at the Coroner’s Inquest – 3 residents of Whitehorse and 3 residents of Dawson City.
Witnesses also took time to describe the circumstances of the days leading up to Blackjack’s death. Vanessa Charlie, a family friend of Blackjack described the 30-minute wait for an ambulance as well as problems with her stretcher. Charlie says that following the events of that day she has felt targeted by staff at the health centre. She too says that she has felt like the staff at the health centre have downplayed her symptoms. Charlie described a time she came to the centre with stomach pain, and was told to go home, and that nothing was wrong with her. She says that when she later went to Whitehorse about the pain staff ran assessments for three or four days.
Cynthia Blackjack died on a medevac airplane from Carmacks to Whitehorse in 2013. She had visited the health centre multiple times leading up to the day of her death, and was told to find her own way to Whitehorse the day before she was medevacked. Blackjack had ben complaining of abdominal pain for multiple days in the lead up to being medically evacuated on a plane to Whitehorse. As her conditioned worsened there were significant delays in securing both an ambulance and a medevac airplane.
An inquest was requested by Blackjack’s family and the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation to specifically determine whether systematic racism was a factor in Blackjack’s death. The Yukon Supreme Court agreed to this demand, and ordered the inquest.
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