TORONTO - An Ontario First nations group is hoping the province's chief coroner will soon make a decision on whether to allow a joint inquest into the deaths of seven aboriginal teens.
The youth all died at various times over the past 11 years after leaving their remote reserves to pursue an education in Thunder Bay.
Many of them were found drowned in rivers running through the northwestern Ontario city but their families want a full investigation into just what went wrong before drawing any conclusions.
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation -- which represents 49 First Nation communities -- says the deaths are very troubling and a wide inquest could help bring some closure to those who lost loved ones.
The joint inquest, if it goes ahead, will expand an existing one which focuses on just one case where a 15-year-old named Reggie Bushie was found dead in a river in Thunder Bay in 2007.
That inquest was also meant to consider the deaths of four other aboriginal youth who died since 2000.
Two more teens died since the inquest began in 2009, and NAN now wants the proceedings to cover all seven deaths.
