On behalf of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, I am pleased to present the Annual Report that covers the reporting period of April 2021 to March 2022. Continuing from the previous period, Ontario’s Death Investigation System was challenged by the continuing COVID‑19 pandemic and increased opioid instances. This combination has steadily increased the medicolegal autopsy caseload across Ontario.

Our province-wide team persevered by working not only harder but smarter and adopting innovative practices to manage workloads and avoid significant backlogs.

I am proud of the important contributions our staff have made to public health and safety during this historic time, while continuing to serve Ontario families and support the criminal justice system. 

Michael S. Pollanen, MD PhD FRCPath DMJ (Path) FRCPC Founder, forensic pathology
Chief Forensic Pathologist of Ontario and Deputy Chief Coroner
Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto