Collingwood inquiry interviewing witnesses, collecting documents

Update from the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry

In preparation for the public hearings, Inquiry counsel have begun meeting and interviewing participants, potential witnesses and others who have information about the subject of the Inquiry. That process started on September 4, 2018.

This important step also involves collecting, organizing and preparing needed documents. This work helps to identify necessary witnesses and focus the public hearings.

During these meetings, some participants have advised that they have thousands of documents relevant to the Inquiry. Some parties have requested additional time to produce documents including one participant which has estimated that it will require an additional two to three weeks to produce its documents.

Other participants have said that they have retained no documents and have nothing to produce. This means that the Inquiry will need to contact people and organizations who may have copies of pertinent documents. These will need to be identified and contacted to locate pertinent documents.

These preparations are a necessary step in advance of the public hearings.

The Inquiry has also been convening regular meetings with all counsel to determine timing, discuss legal issues such as pre-hearing motions and to ask the participants to produce their documents in a timely way. Inquiry counsel will continue these discussions with the participants as documents are received and continue to insist upon input from the participants concerning their readiness to begin the public hearings.

Anyone who has information that they wish to provide to the Inquiry is asked to contact Shelley Fuhre, Executive Director to the Inquiry at sfuhre@collingwoodinquiry.ca or Inquiry Counsel, Janet Leiper at jleiper@collingwoodinquiry.ca.