VANCOUVER—For almost a month this summer, Canadians held their breath as two men suspected in three northern B.C. killings evaded police across four provinces. Those hoping that the end of the manhunt would result in answers are, it turns out, still holding their breath.Critics are now questioning whether the Mounties owe the public more answers about the hunt for Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod. Some information, such as whether the suspects used a small boat found mangled on the shore of Manitoba’s Nelson River or how long they survived in the wilderness, the RCMP simply don’t have, said Manitoba RCMP Cpl. Julie Courchaine in an email Thursday.Police have still not revealed what items found on the shore led officers to search the area and, eventually, uncover two bodies believed to be Schmegelsky and McLeod. Courchaine said revealing such information could affect the integrity of the investigation.Still, she did not reveal details that police certainly know. And police not being forthcoming about even minor details leads Canada down a slippery slope, argues an access-to-information advocate.Canadian law enforcement has never been particularly accountable, said Sean Holman, an associate professor of journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary, and that means the public’s ability to know whether police are conducting themselves and their investigations properly suffers.Read more:In accused killers’ B.C. hometown, question looms: Who were Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky?Shaken communities feel sense of relief as bodies believed to be fugitives found in deep brush of northern ManitobaOpinion | The hunt for two B.C. murder suspects is over. Their motives may have died with them“We often view this issue as something that is only of concern to a limited number of individuals in our society,” he said. “But it should concern us all, because if we do not have the information to know if public agencies are operating i ...
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