Ontario man charged with selling sodium nitrite for suicide appears in court
Editor’s note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health there are a number of ways to get help, including by calling Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. A list of local crisis centres is also available here.
The Mississauga man accused in two cases of aiding and abetting suicide briefly appeared in a Brampton court Tuesday morning, as the Canadian justice system appears poised to wrestle with a case that could have impacts worldwide.
Kenneth Law, 57, faces two counts of aiding and abetting the deaths of two people in Peel Region, allegedly through the online sales of sodium nitrite, a legal substance that is lethal in high concentrations.
The case is being watched as far away as the United Kingdom, where several families believe their troubled loved ones were among the recipients of the 1,200 packages police allege Law sent to more than 40 countries from the Lincoln Green post office in a Mississauga mall.
“How can so many suicides be linked? There’s something going on behind the scenes,” said Lee Cooper from the U.K.
Cooper believes his 41-year-old brother Gary consumed sodium nitrite mailed from Canada last year.
Alongside Cooper, 23-year-old Neha Raju and 22-year-old Tom Parfett died in the U.K., 20-year-old Noelle Ramirez died in Colorado, and 17-year-old Anthony Jones died in Michigan.
In some cases, family members found packaging with the names of some of the companies police have tied to Law after they died.
Peel police say they have been tracking the packages sent from these companies, including Imtime Cuisine and Icemac, and police in Colorado and the U.K. did a blitz of welfare checks to possible customers in recent days.
In Saskatchewan, Regina’s police service confirmed to CTV News Toronto it is re-examining a death after being alerted to it by their coroner's service on May 4.
Halifax’s Regional Police also told CTV News Toronto they conducted a wellness check after being contacted by Peel Regional Police.
Sodium nitrite is advertised in a particular pro-suicide online forum, which CTV News Toronto is not naming, as a painless death — something that experts say is simply not true. Until recently, it was sold by majoronline retailers with few restrictions.
Coroners and medical examiners say since 2020, sodium nitrite was related to 30 deaths in Ontario, 15 in B.C., two in Manitoba, and one in New Brunswick.
Provincial coroner and medical examiner statistics of sodium nitrite deaths in select provinces across Canada since 2020.
Government staff in Alberta refused to disclose the number of deaths there, citing election rules.
Advocates say the case has laid bare the lack of regulation on product sales and messaging on websites that have direct reach to people with suicidal thoughts.
“Every day that we’re not doing something in terms of regulating these online platforms, people are suffering, and we have people that are dying as a result,” said Monique St Germain of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Canada’s heritage ministry has said it’s working on a bill to reduce online harms, promising a "made in Canada" solution to protect vulnerable internet users.
Gary Cooper. Lee Cooper believes his 41-year-old brother Gary consumed sodium nitrite mailed from Canada last year. (Supplied)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.