We demand that the Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General launch an immediate inquiry into the treatment of 23 year old Timothy James McConnell, at the Edmonton Remand Centre in 2021, or more specifically the lack of treatment which ultimately lead to his death while he awaited trial.

My 23 year old son TJ died in the “care” of the New Edmonton Remand Facility. He died alone in an administrative segregation cell. They choose to put him in a cell with no video surveillance and no one checking on him, while they knew he was under mental health distress. They have stated that they saw him put paper in his window and claim they assumed he was using the washroom. They never bothered to check on him for over an hour.  AHS found him deceased while doing their routine rounds.

He had went into the New Edmonton Remand Centre on Sept 4, 2020 for theft, something he was deeply ashamed of, and he came out deceased on Jan 11, 2021. He was suffering from bipolar disorder, as well as depression with manic episodes. He was there for 4 months and 1 week until he was found in a solitary cell, deceased. They say it was suicide, my son did not want to die, we spoke openly about that many times. He was asking for help to recover from addictions and mental health illness. He had hit his rock bottom and wanted access to help. He specifically was asking for Suboxone and for psychiatric counselling. He was not given access to either, he was instead put in administrative segregation, meaning alone in a solitary cell 23 hours a day with no video surveillance, to ensure his safety. I have confirmation from the medical examiner that TJ had no drugs of any kind in his system. He was open and honest about the fact that there were drugs / and contraband to be found in the facility. He wanted support to not crave them and to safely detox his body. He was not given the support they claim is being provided to human beings in their “care.” If we aren’t offering corrections in a correctional facility than what are we doing? 

A remand facility is a building where people are housed while awaiting trial, supposedly presumed innocent until proven guilty. 
I have spoken with many other families who are claiming their loved ones too have had this same or similar experiences in the past and or currently at the New Edmonton Remand Centre. 
Many people end up in remand in crisis, desperate and or at the lowest point in their life. 
It is inhumane treatment to deny or delay access to supports to detox from substances and or provide mental health care in a timely manor. Not only is it inhumane it’s medically unsafe to not support someone detoxing from substances. I ask that you to consider signing this petition to demand humane treatment of human beings who have lost their way, while awaiting trial at the New Edmonton Remand Centre.

*Recently I seen the  BC human rights have won their case for specifically this same issue, yet in Alberta it is not considered a Human Rights Issue. { a legal loop hole that prohibits them from becoming involved and pursuing this case}  

**Also you can research public fatality inquiries to see how many young people have died in this facility and that they have been ordered by judges to get these services in place YEARS ago!!!! 55 people died in alberta correctional facilities between 2013 ~2019 … 23 of them were in the New Edmonton Remand Facility {built in 2013} I have found public records of 15 deaths in their care since 2019 making a total of 38 that I have found. 
{although when I sent a journalist to question them they said it only happens once a year}