Kimberly Rogers Inquest Alerts

Advocacy group can’t get legal aid

Northern Life
October 11, 2002

The Social Planning Council of Sudbury was thrilled when it was granted standing last week at the coroner’s inquest into the death of Kimberly Rogers.

That jubilation has turned to frustration after management discovered officially on Wednesday that Legal Aid Ontario has rejected funding to pay for legal counsel for the Sudbury-based non-profit agency.

“Several bodies, including two different ministries, police, the City of Greater Sudbury and two other public interest bodies have all been granted standing and all will have lawyers paid for out of the public purse,” said Janet Gasparini, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Sudbury.

“We will be the only organization who will not have access to a lawyer…we feel Legal Aid Ontario has a duty to provide us funding to hire counsel, but obviously they don’t agree.”

The coroner’s inquest into the death of Rogers begins Tuesday. Rogers, 40, and her unborn child were found in her sweltering apartment in August, 2001. Rogers was under house arrest at the time.

If anyone is interested in making donations so a lawyer can be hired by the agency, contact the Social Planning Council at 675-3894.