Mom demands answers for delayed death certificate
Matt McClure, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, March 06, 2013
The province's medical examiner took so long to tell a Calgary mother why her son died that the cheques she'd written for the death certificate were stale-dated.
Candy Corrigal says she will make a fresh payment, but she's also demanding answers for a wait of more than seven months that was emotionally distressing and financially damaging.
Shortly after Aidan Cor-rigal's body was found amid drug paraphernalia in his locked Mission apartment on July 2, officials at the Calgary medical examiner's office told his family they would provide a certificate of death within four months.
By early September, a toxicologist's report confirmed the 27-year-old had a fatal combination of drugs and alcohol in his bloodstream when he died.
But another five months would pass before the pathologist signed off on a certificate confirming the cause of death was mixed drug toxicity.
"There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't check the mailbox hoping the report had finally arrived," Corrigal said. "It was horrible."
While the wait taxed her psychological health, Corrigal said it also caused problems with the bank where she had co-signed on her son's $13,000 loan. The debt agreement was life insured, but the financial institution wouldn't cover it without the medical examiner's certificate.
Corrigal said she offered to keep current with the accruing interest during the wait for the government document.
She said the branch manager told her not to worry but, when Corrigal didn't make payments on the loan, the bank filed a report on her credit history.
"I lost my son and then I lost my credit rating," she said. "It's a wonder I haven't lost my mind during this ordeal."
This is the second case the Herald has uncovered in less than a week where grieving families endured lengthy waits for service from the medical examiner's Calgary facility.
More than six months after her husband died of an apparent heart attack on a Crossfield golf course, Linda Kelly was still waiting last Friday for a death certificate that would give her emotional closure and allow her to collect on an insurance policy.
While the ME's office in the city was beset with staffing shortages two years ago, a spokesman for Alberta Justice said there's now a full complement of four pathologists and cases like Corrigal's and Kelly's are exceptions.
Michelle Davio said less than two per cent of death investigations take longer than six months to complete.
Davio said all nine of the province's pathologists are given a monthly report of their outstanding cases and are held responsible for their work.
"Cases which take more than six months are usually of higher complexity or where outside consultation is necessary," she said.
Wildrose critic Shayne Saskiw said the government needs to ensure the examiner's office has adequate staffing so that Albertans get the prompt service they deserve.
"These sad stories are shocking," Saskiw said.
"The minister needs to investigate what's going on here and be personally accountable."
Justice Minister Jonathan Denis said he's looking into the cases.
"There's been a couple of these cases, which is unfortunate," said Denis.
"But at the same time, one of the instructions we've given the Office of the Medical Examiner is accuracy is the most important thing, followed closely by timeliness."
Corrigal wrote to Denis a week ago seeking answers for the delay, but has not received a response.
"When a loved one dies, their family deserves to be treated with respect regardless of the reason," she said.
"If a bureaucracy has no accountability and we're all just a number, then our society is in big trouble."
mmcclure@calgaryherald.com
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