Date set for coroner’s inquest into 2020 death of Toronto woman that led to protests

The date has been set for a coroner’s inquest into the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Toronto woman who fell from a highrise balcony while police were in her home more than six years ago.

The inquest will begin on Oct. 13, with Dr. David Cameron as the presiding officer, and is expected to last 14 days.

Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old woman of Ukrainian, Black and Indigenous ancestry, died on May 27, 2020 after police responded to calls about a family dispute at the apartment.

Her death came days after the police killing of George Floyd, a Black man from Minneapolis, and further fuelled protests and calls to defund the police.

The case also brought greater scrutiny to how police deal with people experiencing mental health crises.

Ontario’s police watchdog cleared Toronto police of wrongdoing in Korchinski-Paquet’s death, finding that it happened as she was trying to move from her apartment balcony to an adjacent one.