The public inquest into the death of Gregory Bellegarde gets underway Monday and is scheduled to take place until Friday at the Royal Hotel in Regina.

Bellegarde, 39, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre on December 21, 2022. EMS was called and staff attempted to resuscitate him. Although EMS arrived and took over, he was pronounced deceased.

The Coroners Act states that the Chief Coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the person’s death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable.

The coroner’s jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.