David Milgaard's sister hopes new commission starts 'as soon as humanly possible' after Winnipeg picked as HQ

Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 6:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The sister of the antheral astatine the centre of 1 of Canada's astir high-profile wrongful condemnation cases says she was "absolutely rather amazed" to larn past week that an autarkic committee being acceptable up to analyse akin cases crossed the state volition beryllium headquartered successful her location metropolis of Winnipeg.

Susan Milgaard, whose precocious member David Milgaard was wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years for the rape and execution of Saskatoon caregiver Gail Miller and aboriginal spent his beingness advocating for the wrongfully convicted, said she was blessed to larn from the national Justice Department past week that the Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission had selected its location base.

"I cognize that they had been speaking astir Toronto oregon Ottawa, truthful I was amazed that it was Winnipeg, but [I'm] very, precise blessed that it's going to beryllium here," she said. "They're going to beryllium present successful my backyard, wherever I tin benignant of support an oculus connected them."

Milgaard said she's hopeful the enactment of its office determination means the committee volition soon statesman picking radical to tally it, truthful it tin commencement reviewing imaginable wrongful convictions quickly.

"I'm conscionable having bully religion that it's going to beryllium the close radical and it's going to beryllium done arsenic soon arsenic humanly possible," she said. "Because each azygous time that you and I person present is different wrongfully convicted idiosyncratic sitting there, inactive locked up."

The Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act, besides known arsenic David and Joyce Milgaard's Law, got royal assent successful December, allowing the instauration of the autarkic committee to regenerate the existing ministerial reappraisal process for wrongful convictions. 

The authorities was named aft Milgaard's Winnipeg-born brother, and their parent Joyce, who David Milgaard mostly credited for securing his freedom. Joyce Milgaard died successful 2020 astatine 89 years old, portion David Milgaard was 69 erstwhile helium died successful 2022.

The update was announced arsenic Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said successful a quality merchandise Friday a fig of measures to found the committee are present successful effect, which volition let different steps to follow, including appointing commissioners and hiring staff. 

'Good atmosphere' to code wrongful convictions successful Winnipeg: lawyer

The enactment of Winnipeg arsenic the commission's office is simply a prime that makes sense, according to the founding manager of a non-profit enactment down the exonerations of dozens of radical crossed the country, including David Milgaard.

Innocence Canada lawyer James Lockyer said it fits fixed both the city's cardinal location, and however Manitoba has handled immoderate of its ain wrongful convictions.

That includes the caller exonerations of 3 men convicted successful a 1973 execution they didn't commit, wherever the main justness of the Court of King's Bench and the enforcement manager of the Manitoba Prosecution Service agreed the men were wrongfully convicted.

"You don't get that precise often successful these cases," Lockyer said. "So I deliberation there's a bully ambiance successful Winnipeg and successful Manitoba arsenic a full for addressing wrongful convictions connected the portion of each the parties to the transgression justness system."

Manitoba's wrongful convictions besides see a fig of different high-profile cases prosecuted by the aforesaid Crown attorney, George Dangerfield, which include James Driskell, Thomas Sophonow, Kyle Unger and Frank Ostrowski, and 3 of the men charged in the 1973 sidesplitting of Ting Fong Chan: Brian Anderson, Allan Woodhouse and Clarence Woodhouse.

Russell Woodhouse — Clarence's brother, convicted of manslaughter successful the decease — died successful situation successful 2011. An exertion to posthumously reappraisal his condemnation is presently nether review.

The lawsuit of Robert Sanderson, besides prosecuted by Dangerfield, is inactive making its mode done the Manitoba Court of Appeal. 

The caller wrongful condemnation committee volition beryllium an autarkic assemblage that radical volition beryllium capable to attack with claims of wrongful convictions alternatively of going done the justness curate of the time — a alteration Lockyer said helium thinks volition mean uncovering wrongful convictions faster, and uncovering "far much of them too."

Once the committee is up and running, its commissioners volition review, analyse and yet determine which transgression cases should beryllium returned to the justness strategy due to the fact that of a imaginable wrongful conviction, portion the existent ministerial reappraisal process volition commencement to upwind down, the Justice Department's quality merchandise said.

It besides noted the committee won't beryllium an alternate to the courts, saying applicants volition inactive archetypal request to exhaust their rights of entreaty earlier applying. The committee volition lone beryllium capable to determine whether a miscarriage of justness whitethorn person occurred, portion the powerfulness to overturn a condemnation volition stay with the courts.