In Mary's Footsteps

Local author Margaret Franz recently held a panel discussion titled "In Mary's Footsteps" at the Coquitlam Public Library to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passing of her sister, Mary Steinhauser, who was killed during an infamous hostage taking incident which occurred at the BC Penitentiary on June 11, 1975.

Geoff Scott – Local Journalism Initiative

Mrs. Franz noted that her sister, who was only 32 and registered nurse, social worker, and clinical councilor when she lost her life, was a strong advocate for mental health and prison justice. the panel, she felt, reflected these values and included ;

Dr. John Higinbottam PhD, former Vice President of Riverview Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, and BC Rehab.

Ken Peterson, Assistant Warden at the BC Penitentiary at the time of the incident.

Irene Peterson RPN who was literally following in Mary's footsteps as one of the first women to be working in the prison system in British Columbia in '75.

While Mr. & Mrs. Peterson's ( now married ) presentations focused on the events, as they occurred, on that fateful day and gave insight to the operation of the prison justice system back in 1975, Dr. John Higenbottam 's presentation entitled " Closing Riverview and the Aftermath " clearly lays the blame for many of the issues we struggle with today in regard to a prison justice system that many feel is broken, on the closure of Riverview Hospital.

While Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam housed those in the lower mainland struggling with mental health issues for decades, it was the movement toward deinstitutionalization in the 1990's that ultimately resulted in it's closure. Unfortunately the mental health housing and support upon which the Riverview closure was predicated never materialized.