A public inquest into the death of a woman in Pine Grove Correctional Centre is set to begin next month. The inquest will call a jury of civilians to examine the circumstances around the death of Tatiana Custer. The 23-year-old went into medical distress at Pine Grove in January 2024, and later died in hospital, according to a Ministry of Justice news release. Custer was the mother to a five-year-old child. Under the Coroner’s Act, the chief coroner is expected to hold an inquest anytime someone dies while in custody, unless they’re satisfied the death was completely due to natural causes, and was not preventable. Through the inquest, a jury will establish when, where and how Custer died, and may make recommendations to the institution to help prevent similar deaths in the future. A checkered record Pine Grove Correctional Centre — the province’s primary women’s jail — has earned some notoriety in recent years after complaints over living conditions, including drinking water that allegedly smelled “like raw sewage,” and a spate of inmate deaths. Eight women died while in Pine Grove’s custody between 2019 and 2024. That year, provincial ombud Sharon Pratchler launched an investigation into the facility, citing multiple public complaints that highlighted “significant concerns.” Pratchler said the investigation would consider “to what degree trauma-informed practices and Truth and Reconciliation principles are incorporated into the treatment of individuals in the care of Pine Grove.” In the wake of Custer’s death the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) was vocal in its support for an inquest. The tribal council described an alarming lack of communication between provincial corrections and Custer’s family about what happened to the young mother. “The institution should have a role in proper support for families that lose loved ones,” PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte told reporters at the time. With a public inquest, and the recommendations it produces, PAGC hoped similar deaths could be prevented in the future. The inquest is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 7 at the Coronet Hotel in Prince Albert.
