The Yukon government is extending its review of the territory’s police force until the New Year.
The task force, which is charged with holding public consultations on how to repair the territorial RCMP’s damaged reputation, had a September 15 deadline for making its report to Justice Minister Marian Horne.
“At the very beginning of this review many people expressed concerns about the tight deadline in September due to summer vacations, hunting season, berry picking and enjoyment of the summer in the Yukon,” said co-chair Simone Arnold in a statement.
The task force was created following a damning coroner’s inquest into the death of Raymond Silverfox, a 43-year-old Carmacks man who died in RCMP custody in December of 2008.
At the April inquest, it came to light that RCMP guards mocked and ridiculed the First Nations man as he lay dying in the drunk tank. He died from acute pneumonia after being locked up for 13 hours.
Public confidence in the force had been shaken earlier by the March trial of two Mounties in Watson Lake charged with sexual assault. They were found not guilty.
More than 40 meetings have been held in the territory since the review was announced in late April. Meetings will wrap up in early October.
Another public meeting will be held in Whitehorse on September 30.