by An autopsy report has found a Cape Breton man was dangerously intoxicated before being taken to a jail cell where he died of an overdose earlier this year.
42 year-old Jason Marcel LeBlanc died at the Cape Breton Correctional Centre on January 31st, 14 hours after being arrested on a parole violation.
The Canadian Press has obtained a report submitted by the medical examiner’s office on June 8th, saying LeBlanc had near fatal levels of methadone in his blood and a bag full of pills in his pocket.
It adds video footage shows LeBlanc pulling a bag of bromazepan out of his pocket shortly before he lost consciousness.
His father, Ernie LeBlanc, is critical of correctional centre staff, saying they weren’t paying enough attention at the time of his son’s death.
The provincial Justice Department says an internal report is being finalized, but officials won’t be offering comments until the report is shared with LeBlanc’s family.
Meanwhile, the head of the federal Office of the Correctional Investigator, Howard Sapers, says the case demands an external inquiry if the autopsy and Ernie LeBlanc’s allegations are accurate.
Unlike other provinces, Nova Scotia doesn’t require a public inquest for non-natural prison deaths, and no such inquiry has been held in the province since 2010.
There have been six non-natural prison deaths in the province since that time.
