Robert Pickton was fatally stabbed with broken broom handle, investigation reveals
The fatal assault at the Port-Cartier Institution in May 2024 led to a formal investigation by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), which found that inmates routinely had access to objects that could be used as weapons.
The CSC Board of Investigation report says that on May 19, 2024, at 5:16 p.m., Pickton was attacked by another inmate in the common room while medication was being distributed in his unit.
'When the assault started, the Correctional Officer (CO) assigned to the control post requested the assistance of other COs, who quickly intervened and were able to convince the aggressor to stop the assault,' the reports says.
Two minutes later, the aggressor grabbed a broomstick, broke the handle, and thrust it into Pickton's face.
Story continues below advertisement
'Correctional Officers again intervened, managed to gain (the aggressor's) compliance, handcuffed him, then escorted him to the Structured Intervention Unit,' the report continued.
Pickton was airlifted to hospital in Sept-Îles. Due to his critical condition, he was transported to a hospital in Quebec City the next day. He died in the intensive care unit 12 days later.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
At the time of the incident, Pickton was 74 and had been serving a life sentence since 2007 for six counts of second-degree murder. Twenty additional counts of first-degree murder led to a stay of proceedings in 2010.
His crimes received extensive media coverage across the country and around the world.
Corrections Canada said his security level had been maintained at maximum since his intake assessment in 2008.
He had been incarcerated at Port-Cartier Institution since 2018.
No criminal charges have been laid in Pickton's death.
Inmates had access to cleaning supplies
The board was tasked with looking at the 'facts and circumstances' leading up to the deadly assault, as well as 'examining whether policies and protocols were followed, and identifying any recommendations or corrective measures needed.'
One of the issues identified was access to cleaning supplies, like brooms and mops, which could be used as weapons.
Story continues below advertisement
'Inmates had free access to cleaning items and that there were no functional locking cabinets that could be used to store the brooms or mops on the range, nor was there an inventory of these items at the time of the incident,' the report found.
The institution has since taken steps to remedy this issue, according to the report.
'A project is underway to secure the doors of the cleaners' storerooms in unit common rooms to better control access to cleaning supplies,' the report reads.
'Furthermore, a reminder has been issued for special monitoring on the night shift, of materials in unit common rooms.'
The reports says there is also now an inventory list of the items in every common room at the prison.
Correctional Service Canada is required by law to investigate incidents where an inmate under their care and custody dies or suffers serious bodily injury.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
27 minutes ago
- Global News
Winnipeg cops arrest 3 in Rossmere drug, gun investigation
Three people have been arrested in an investigation into drug and firearm trafficking in Winnipeg, police say. The guns and gangs unit began an investigation last month in the Rossmere neighbourhood, culminating in a raid July 20. A search of a home on Devon Avenue turned up more than $112,000 in illegal drugs, according to police, including 998 grams of cocaine, 129 grams of crack, 18 grams of psilocybin and three grams of MDMA, as well as hydrocodone, cash and drug packaging materials. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Police also seized a loaded handgun and an empty 50-round magazine. A man and a woman were arrested at the scene, while a second man was arrested Friday as part of an ongoing investigation. The two men, ages 26 and 29, remain in custody and face a raft of trafficking charges, as well as charges of possessing property obtained by crime and firearms offences. Story continues below advertisement The 43-year-old woman faces similar charges and was released on an undertaking.
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
Why more fentanyl production could be moving to Canada
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since U.S. President Donald Trump first alleged earlier this year that fentanyl was 'pouring' into the U.S. from its northern neighbour, Canada has taken a number of steps to combat the flow of illegal drugs. Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press Although there's no evidence of any significant flows of fentanyl into the United States from Canada, an American authority on 'criminal supply chains' warned Friday that that could change abruptly if U.S. efforts to better seal its border with Mexico are successful. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Jonathan Caulkins, who researches supply chains that support illegal markets for the Manhattan Institute think tank and Carnegie Mellon University. said the drug cartels that control the North American fentanyl trade may well shift large chunks of their operations to Canada if the northern border becomes the path of least resistance. Caulkins, the co-author behind a recent Manhattan Institute study of fentanyl supply chains, said the cartels are sophisticated, mobile and will adjust quickly if their cross-border routes are choked. Your guide to the world of Canadian politics. (Subscriber exclusive on Saturdays) By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'They're not trying (now), but they sure could,' he said in an interview hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase tariffs on some Canadian exports (those products that aren't captured by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico free trade agreement) to the U.S. to 35 per cent from 25 per cent. Those tariffs, which kicked in earlier Friday, were necessary, according to Trump, because Canada has failed to co-operate with U.S. efforts to curb 'the ongoing flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.' Candace Laing, chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Trump's fact sheet on the tariffs should be called a 'fact-less sheet' when it comes to using fentanyl as a justification for trade decisions about Canada. 'More fact-less tariff turbulence does not advance North American economic security,' she said. In the Manhattan Institute study, Caulkins and colleague Bishu Giri found that the vast majority of the fentanyl entering the U.S. from within North America is coming from Mexico, not Canada. They used new data from 2023–24 to show that about 40 per cent of the large seizures of fentanyl in the U.S. occurred in counties along the Mexican border, while just 1.2 per cent of the fentanyl powder and 0.5 per cent of pills along the Canadian border. To effectively combat the problem, the researchers wrote, law enforcement and legislators need to begin with accurate information. Caulkins said that fentanyl producers in Mexico and Canada are different in that the Canadian operations tend to produce opioids from imports that are nearly completely assembled with just the finishing ingredients added here, while the cartels in Mexico assemble all the ingredients to make opioids in that country to export to the U.S. In both cases, he said, the imports are believed to come mostly from China, although India may also be a source. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Since Trump first raised the allegation earlier this year about fentanyl 'pouring' into the U.S. from its northern neighbour, Canada has taken a number of steps to combat the flow of illegal drugs, and to be seen to be doing so, into the U.S. The steps included: reinforcing the Canada-U.S. border with additional technology, helicopters and personnel; allocating $78.7 million to expand Health Canada's regulatory capabilities; increasing co-ordination with American law enforcement counterparts; hiring a fentanyl 'czar'; and launching consultations on improving crackdowns, as well as tabling Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act to give Ottawa more law-enforcement powers. Kevin Brosseau, the fentanyl czar, was not made available for an interview this week, but in an interim report released in June he pointed out that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data show that only 0.1 per cent of fentanyl seizures at U.S. borders are at the Canada-U.S. border, far less than the flow of illegal narcotics into Canada from the U.S. One thing that the players in the fight against illicit drugs seem to agree on is that the problem requires a multi-faceted response that addresses the border, legislative changes, money laundering and other financial angles, and enforcement that targets both precursors and fentanyl itself. The RCMP also declined an interview this week, but stated in an email that it intends to hit organized crime 'harder and faster' and that one of its priorities is to work with industry to prevent the diversion of precursors that are used to make fentanyl. Jamie Tronnes, executive director for the Center for North American Prosperity and Security, the U.S.-based office of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said Canada seems to be doing a good job of cracking down on the fentanyl trade, and ensuring that those efforts are seen by Trump and others in the White House. 'I believe that Canada is doing everything it can to demonstrate it's taking it seriously,' Tronnes said. She said Canada could focus more, however, on money laundering and other international financial crimes. Darren Gibb, head of communications at the Financial Transactions and Report Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), which works with police and financial institutions to target crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing, said hiding profits from illegal activities such as fentanyl production isn't easy. 'It's their Achilles' heel,' he said of the drug cartels. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Project Gaslight extortion arsonist pleads guilty to torching Edmonton homes
The years-long Project Gaslight investigation into extortions and arsons in and around Edmonton is now moving through the legal system. One of the accused, Manav Heer, pleaded guilty in an Edmonton courtroom Friday afternoon to four charges related to the Edmonton Police Service's investigation into crimes targeting South Asian community members. Heer pleaded guilty to extortion, arson, conspiring to commit extortion and arson, and using an imitation firearm. From shootings to new or under-construction homes being torched, police investigated dozens of crimes in the Edmonton region between October 2023 and January of this year that investigators said were extortions by members of the South Asian community against their own people — in particular, home builders and affluent community members. Story continues below advertisement The extortion scheme saw successful South Asian business people threatened for money in exchange for 'protection' and officials said failure to pay out led to arsons — primarily at under-construction homes — and drive-by shootings. The result? Tens of millions of dollars in damage and widespread fear in the community. In total, police investigated 40 crimes related to the extortion series. Heer was arrested, along with five other people, on July 25, 2024. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy At the same time, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for another man: Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, who was believed to be the ringleader of the criminal organization responsible for the series of Project Gaslight extortions. View image in full screen Edmonton police chief Dale McFee speaks about arrests made in Project Gaslight Friday, July 26, 2024. Dave Carels / Global News Dhaliwal was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on separate criminal charges near the end of 2024, and is still incarcerated in the Middle Eastern nation as Canada works to negotiate an extradition — a process complicated by the lack of a treaty to do so between Canada and the UAE. Story continues below advertisement In the meantime, the criminal cases against the other people involved in the crime spree are moving ahead. According to an agreed statement of facts, Heer committed multiple home arsons but not all that were investigated. The fires targeted different companies and the statement said Heer also sent text messages talking about arson and helped identify target properties. It also said Heer shot the back window of a security guard's vehicle with an airsoft gun. The Crown said Heer was involved in arsons totaling around $10 million in damages. No sentencing date has been set. His next court date will be in September, following an assessment. 1:49 Edmonton's south Asian community 'doesn't feel safe' amid new threats Crimes similar to what occurred two years ago have started up again in Edmonton, police said a few weeks ago when announcing a town hall (held this week) for those who are being threatened. Story continues below advertisement For every crime they know about, police suspect there are many others in which victims stay silent — fearful to come forward to police either because they're afraid for their personal safety, or they come from a region where police are not trustworthy. Because of that, officers in Edmonton are working to strengthen relations and build trust with the South Asian community. Edmonton police reminded residents they can report tips anonymously to a third party: Crime Stoppers. The EPS also has a dedicated email (projectgaslight@ and phone number (780-391-4279) for South Asian community members who are being targeted.
