REGINA - The Saskatchewan government says it will go after the profits from convicted wife killer Colin Thatcher's book and the money could end up with his children.
Justice Minister Don Morgan said Wednesday that ministry officials have finished reading the book, which was released Sept. 1, and believe it is covered by a new law that says criminals can't keep the proceeds if they sell their stories.
"I haven't read the book, but their review of it would indicate it's his commentary, his review of what took place in the trial and the evidence that was there," said Morgan.
"There was nothing in the book that they didn't anticipate at the time they were drafting the legislation."
The Saskatchewan government rushed through its Profits of Criminal Notoriety Act in May after word that Thatcher's book "Final Appeal: Anatomy of a Frame" would hit store shelves in the fall.
Like similar acts in Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta, the Saskatchewan legislation addresses the "recounting" of a crime by criminals for financial gain. The Saskatchewan law also includes the phrase "expression of thoughts or feelings" about the crime.
Thatcher told The Canadian Press in a recent interview that he doesn't think the new law applies to his book because it's about his dealings with the justice system and not the 1983 murder of his former wife, JoAnn Wilson.
Wilson was bludgeoned and shot in the garage of her Regina home, just steps away from the Saskatchewan legislature.
Thatcher, a former Saskatchewan cabinet minister, was convicted of her murder and spent 22 years behind bars. He was released in 2006 and now lives on the family ranch near Moose Jaw, Sask.
Morgan said justice officials will send a letter to Thatcher and his publisher seeking voluntary payment, but also inviting him to explain why he thinks the law doesn't apply. Thatcher will be given a couple of weeks to respond.
"If co-operation isn't forthcoming, then they would make applications to the Court of Queen's Bench."
Under the law, the proceeds can go to victims, their family members or a victims fund. That could benefit Thatcher's three children with Wilson, who have stood by their father as he proclaimed his innocence.
"There's potential for that, but that's something that has not yet been decided," said Morgan.
Thatcher's publisher, Toronto's ECW Press, said Wednesday that it will reserve comment until after it gets formal notice from Saskatchewan justice officials.
This is the first time that Saskatchewan has taken action under the new proceeds of crime legislation. Morgan said justice officials are moving quickly, but cautiously because "a lot of what they're doing may well be setting precedent."
"There's been an advance payment made and the expectation is that this law will be complied with and that they will proceed as appropriately and as quickly as possible."
