A joint Board of Investigation into the statutory release of Myles Sanderson has concluded that there were no pre-indicators or precipitating events known to Correctional Service Canada and Parole Board of Canada staff that they could have acted on to prevent the mass stabbing tragedy at James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon.

Sanderson was released into the community in February of 2022, but after breaching one of his conditions in May, there was a warrant for his arrest. It was September of 2022 when he killed 11 people and injured 17 others. The BOI also states that both overall case preparation leading to Sanderson’s statutory release and communications and sharing of information with his known social contacts were reasonable and appropriate.

Recommendations for Correctional Service Canada include bringing back the Community Corrections Liaison Officer program and developing policy around assessing an offender’s risk of suicide or domestic violence while under community supervision. The report says the BOI found that Sanderson’s history of domestic violence was a significant factor in his criminal history, and the documentation of how that risk affected his overall risk could have been better detailed by staff that were involved in making recommendations and decisions on lower security ratings or conditional release.

Recommendations for the Parole Board of Canada include adding police reports and court information, including historical information, in the documents submitted to the parole board for offenders with lengthy criminal histories or for past offences with violence. The report also notes that statutory release is mandated by law, requiring federally sentenced inmates to serve the final third of their sentence in the community under Correctional Service’s supervision.

Click here for a report summary.