First Nations Student Deaths Inquest
A joint inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations students is running Thunder Bay, Ont. All of the students died between 2000 and 2011 while attending high school in the city, hundreds of kilometres away from their remote First Nations where access to education is limited.
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'I just thought they were going to be okay here,' Rhoda says of her two sons in Thunder Bay for high school. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:59:09 PM -
King says Reggie came to #tbay for high school b/c there was no opening for him at Pelican Falls near Sioux Lookout #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:56:14 PM
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'He liked hockey and Xbox, just like any other normal child,' Rhoda says of her son Reggie. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:51:56 PM
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'He knew where he came from. He called me mommy, he also called Mary (the sister) mommy' Rhoda says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:49:53 PM
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Rhoda says she was part of all the decision making for Reggie, and her sister lived next door so she saw him often #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:49:01 PM
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Rhoda says she gave Reggie to her sister to raise when he was 8 mnths old 'b/c she didn't have any children of her own to raise' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:48:25 PM
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Rhoda says she prefers to be called Rhoda Bushie. She's frm Poplar Hill First Nation, pop. ~500. She has 5 kids, including Reggie #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:46:29 PM
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First witness today is Rhoda King, Bushie's biological mother, testifying through an interpreter #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:42:27 PM
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Original inquest into Bushie's death began in 2009, delayed by problems with representativeness of Ontario's jury roll system #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:40:37 PM
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Rudin: this joint inquest that started earlier came about because of the death of Reggie Bushie and the persistence of his family #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:39:02 PM
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First Nation student death inquest resumes today w/ opening remarks from lawyer Jonathan Rudin, who represents Bushie family #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/24/2015 2:37:56 PM
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Thank you @cbcreporter for live-tweeting #tbinquest . It allows me to stay updated while I am in Dryden. -
Inquest adjourned until 9:30 on Tuesday, when Bushie's mom is expected to testify #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:58:00 PM
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Turtle says the students thought Bushie's brother was going to call the school for a ride, 'that's why we left them.' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:56:42 PM
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Turtle says she and her friend had something thrown at them from a passing car on Memorial Ave. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:41:55 PM
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Turtle says there were good things in #tbay 'freedom to do things', the mall and Tim Hortons #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:38:59 PM
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Turtle says she was scared in #tbay "because you have to walk places by yourself' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:35:40 PM
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Turtle says she was 'nervous and scared' when she left Pikangikum for the 1st time ever to come to school in #tbay . She was 16 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:32:00 PM
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Turtle says she and her group went to drink on the bike path near the Shoppers Drug mart, police came and they scattered #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:29:07 PM
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'They almost fell,' Turtle says of Bushie and his brother. It was the last time she saw them #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:27:35 PM
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Bushie 'was really drunk, he had to have his arms around his brother b/c he couldn't stand,' Turtles says. 'We took off.' #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:26:06 PM
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Turtle says Bushie was 'staggering, couldn't even walk' when she and her friends met up with the group w/Bushie #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:22:46 PM
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Turtle says students met up on the grass between the bridges on Simpson and Memorial, near the movie theatre #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:21:09 PM
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Turtle says she'd heard of Reggie Bushie but had never talked to him #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:16:46 PM
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Final witness for today is Alexis Turtle, testifying remotely from Pikangikum. She was at school w/ Reggie Bushie in 2007 #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 4:13:44 PM
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Nishnawbe Aski Nation lawyer Meaghan Daniel asks: 'Did anyone talk to you about ways to stay safe here?' Peters: No #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:37:00 PM
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Peters was 16 when she came to #tbay for school, says she was scared. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:35:48 PM
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Bushie was the most intoxicated among the group, Peters says. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:33:51 PM
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Peters says she and another student knew that night would be their last in Thunder Bay #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:32:49 PM
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Peters says the following day she was 'kicked out, I was sent home'. Only found out Bushie was missing when she got home #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:31:47 PM
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Peters says she remembers Bushie's brother saying he was going to take him back to where they were staying, #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:28:21 PM
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'We drank until it was gone,' Peters says. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:26:35 PM
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Peters says she met Bushie + others outside school 1 day, went to mall, found someone to buy booze, went to the bush behind LCBO #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:26:04 PM
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Peters says she can't remember why she wanted to come to #tbay . She had never been here, had no friends, relatives here. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:20:27 PM
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Lawyer asks 'how did you like your boarding home?' in #tbay . 'I don't know, I was never there,' Peters says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:18:36 PM
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Next witness is Rhonda Peters, testifying remotely from her home in Pikangikum. She was a student at same time as Reggie Bushie #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:17:21 PM
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Presiding coroner asks Pascal how common it was for she and her friends to drink alcohol. 'At least twice a week,' she says. #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:07:35 PM
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Lawyer for the feds asks Pascal to define 'a runner'. "He makes booze runs for underage kids,' she says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 3:04:45 PM
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Pascal says the classes in Pikangikum were "easy' and limited, held in portables #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:59:22 PM
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Pascal finished high school at home in Pikangikum #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:56:56 PM
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Pascal went home to Pikangikum after the death of a close friend, she didn't return to the city or finish school #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:55:43 PM
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Pascal says she remembers tripping and falling in the river, coming to handcuffed in back police car, spent the night in jail #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:48:32 PM
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Pascal says students ran along the side of the river to get away from police. 'I didn't want to go to jail', she says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:46:20 PM
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'Police saw us, we tried to hide under the trees. Most of the group ran away. I tried running but I couldn't,' Pascal says #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:42:37 PM
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Pascal says she didn't see Bushie again that night. She ended up in police custody for drinking under age #tbinquestby Jody Porter via twitter 11/23/2015 2:40:43 PM