EDITORIAL – The final verdict on Robert William Pickton: ‘Good riddance’

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

WHEN SOMEONE DIES, we talk about what a good person they were. Worked hard, baked the best cookies, had a smile that lit up a room, would give you the shirt off their back, volunteered evenings and weekends, and loved family and little white dogs.

We don’t go into their flaws, and that’s as it should be. An obituary is usually the final word on someone’s life, someone who had friends and family. Let the last word be a good one.

But there are a rare exceptions. Robert Pickton is one. Nobody will mourn for Robert Pickton.

It was announced today  (May 31, 2024) that he has died at the age of 74. Cause of death: injuries from an attack by a fellow inmate two weeks ago in the Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec.

Pickton was a serial killer, the worst in Canadian history. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 for the deaths of six women but it’s always been suspected that he killed many more. He bragged about killing 49. Some think it was even more than that. In many cases they were Indigenous, poor and addicted. A bungled police investigation was the subject of a major commission of inquiry.

Our “Canadian values” tell us we shouldn’t want anyone to die a violent death. Certainly, whoever is responsible for his death should be brought to justice because we can’t condone murder. At the same time, though, there’s a certain sense of relief, even satisfaction, that Pickton is no longer with us.

Maybe now the families of his many victims can feel some closure, if there is such a thing in these circumstances. One family member put it this way: “I don’t wish harm on anybody but — Karma, you know?”

So, no tears for Robert Pickton. No one. No kind words in his obituary.

Premier David Eby said it best when he was told the news: “Good riddance.”

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.