Lawyers said last week that Kenneth Law will plead guilty in Ontario Superior Court to aiding in the suicides of 14 people.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
British Columbia RCMP say they have an active investigation open into whether some suicide deaths in the province are linked to parcels distributed by Kenneth Law.
Mr. Law, a 60-year-old former Toronto chef, was arrested three years ago at his suburban home on allegations that he sold a toxic substance online to vulnerable people seeking to end their lives. Lawyers said last week that he will plead guilty in Ontario Superior Court to aiding in the suicides of 14 people – including two minors – who died in that province.
Criminal charges have never been laid against Mr. Law outside Ontario, though authorities allege he shipped 1,200 parcels globally, including 160 within Canada.
Family members of some of his alleged victims have demanded public inquiries and new prosecutions of Mr. Law after Ontario prosecutors announced last week they are preparing to drop murder charges against him.
“Several investigative avenues are still being actively pursued here in B.C.,” RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark said in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail.
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He said he expects investigators will submit a report to prosecutors for a final decision on whether charges will be laid.
Such reports require a reasonable belief by B.C. police that a crime has been committed.
Staff Sgt. Clark said B.C. Mounties have formed a task force to investigate “multiple jurisdictions across the Lower Mainland and BC.” He said the work is completely independent of the Ontario case.
The RCMP investigation will continue and the hope is to “advance files to the charge approval stage,” he added.
Staff Sgt. Clark would not say what kinds of crimes or specific deaths are being investigated, nor why the RCMP’s impending report on the case of Mr. Law – who has been jailed since 2023 – has taken so long to prepare.
Mr. Law’s lawyers did not respond Friday to a request for comment.
When Mr. Law was arrested in 2023, police across Canada took renewed looks at several Canadian suicide deaths for ties to his shipments. The media reported that some cases were alleged to be in B.C., including that of a 21-year-old Langley man who asphyxiated himself with purchased compressed gas equipment.
According to a CTV News report, that man’s mother was quoted saying that when her son died in February, 2021, she approached local police about Mr. Law. But she felt there was inadequate follow-up investigation into the matter. That case occurred before the 14 Ontario deaths for which Mr. Law is now being prosecuted.
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The Globe contacted police and prosecutors in several provinces this week, but no other jurisdiction said it is still working toward charging Mr. Law.
Peter German, a former RCMP deputy commissioner who is not involved in the Law case, said in an interview that he suspects the Mounties may be waiting until the Ontario prosecution finishes before recommending their own charges.
British Columbia is a unique jurisdiction in Canada with a two-stage prosecution process. First, police write reports to prosecutors when they believe that they have reasonable grounds. Then, prosecutors review the reports, but under higher legal thresholds.
“Charges will only be approved if Crown Counsel is satisfied that the evidence gathered by the investigative agency provides a substantial likelihood of conviction and, if so, that a prosecution is required in the public interest,” Ann Seymour, a spokesperson for the BC Prosecution Service, said in an e-mail.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Michelle Fuerst said last Monday that Mr. Law’s “resolution hearing” will be held on May 29.
Some legal experts say prosecutors could secure a strict sentence in the range of 15 to 20 years, especially if Mr. Law pleads guilty and admits responsibility for crimes outside Ontario that he is not currently charged with.
“There would be a strong public benefit for Kenneth Law to take responsibility for the conduct affecting the victims globally and to receive a harsher sentence in Canada,” said Adam Weisberg, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, who is not involved in the Law case.
“It would bring finality for all of the victims rather than delaying justice.”
With reports from Mike Hager