Module 3 The Role of the Coroner
Coroner Roles and Responsibilities
The Coroners Act, of Saskatchewan is the provincial statute that provides coroners with the legal authority to investigate, and hold public inquests regarding the circumstances surrounding sudden, unexpected, unnatural, or unexplained deaths in order to improve the health, safety and quality of life of the citizens of our province. The Saskatchewan Coroners Service is an independent agency operating under the direction of the Chief Coroner of Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Coroners Service, nd).
It is the responsibility of the coroner in the course of their investigation to determine the identity of a deceased person and how, when, where, and by what means that person died. The coroner works to uncover dangerous practices or conditions that may lead to death, educate the public respecting dangerous practices and conditions, and publicizes and maintains records of the circumstances and causes of death (Saskatchewan Coroners Service, nd).