The long-planned coroner’s inquest into the deaths of four women with connections to the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter will begin in April 2024.

The Yukon Coroner’s Service made the announcement today.

In August 2022, the service had expressed its intent to hold the inquest.

Cassandra Warville, Myranda Aleisha Dawn Tizya-Charlie, Josephine Elizabeth Hager and Darla Skookum are the names of the four women involved.

The deaths of Warville, 35, and Tizya-Charlie, 34, were reported on Jan. 19, 2022.

Their deaths occurred at the Fourth Avenue shelter, and were found to be the result of toxic illicit drugs.

The death of Hager, 38, was reported on Feb. 1, 2023, and the death of Skookum, 52, was reported on April 16, 2023.

“These individuals were accessing services at the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter at the time of their deaths,” the coroner’s service noted in a statement.

Under Section 40 (1) of the Coroner’s Act, the chief coroner can order an inquest when the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances surrounding the death.

Further, under Section 46 (1), the chief coroner may direct that a single inquest be held in respect of more than one death if the coroner reasonably believes that the facts or circumstances of the deaths are sufficiently similar that a common inquest is the most efficient and effective way of inquiring into the deaths.

A coroner’s inquest is a public inquiry that serves three primary functions:

1) to determine the facts related to a death, including the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means the individual came to their death, as well as a classification for the death;

2) to make recommendations, where appropriate and supported by evidence, to prevent deaths in similar circumstances; and

3) to ensure public confidence that the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.

“By inquiring into the facts and circumstances surrounding a number of deaths at the shelter, this inquest will identify how those deaths came to be and facilitate the making of recommendations to avoid preventable deaths,” the coroner’s service said.

Presiding coroner Michael Egilson and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses under oath to determine the facts surrounding the four women’s deaths.

The jury will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances.

A jury must not make any finding of legal responsibility nor express any conclusion of law.

The April 8, 2024 inquest will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Gold Rush Inn.