SAULT STE MARIE – NATIONAL NEWS – A 37-year-old Sault Ste. Marie man is facing manslaughter and fentanyl trafficking charges after a police investigation into a 2023 drug poisoning death. The case carries national significance because it shows how fatal fentanyl investigations can move beyond simple trafficking allegations into the most serious parts of Canada’s Criminal Code when police believe they can trace a death to an alleged supplier.
Police say 2023 death led to charges this week
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service says Andrew Nolan was charged March 9 with manslaughter and trafficking in a Schedule I substance.
Police say the investigation began on Aug. 25, 2023, after 35-year-old Joshua Tauvette was found dead in the 100 block of Lasalle Court beside drug paraphernalia containing a substance later confirmed by Health Canada to be fentanyl. A forensic pathologist later ruled the cause of death was fentanyl intoxication.
Police allege Tauvette had purchased the fentanyl from the accused the day before his death. Nolan was arrested March 9 and held in custody pending a bail hearing. Police chief Brent Duguay said the case is a reminder that “choosing to traffic in poison can end a life.”
All allegations remain before the court. Under section 11(d) of the Charter, anyone charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a fair and public hearing.
What the charges mean under Canadian law
Manslaughter is an indictable offence punishable under section 236 of the Criminal Code. Where no firearm is alleged to have been used, the offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Because the section sets no non-firearm mandatory minimum, courts have broad sentencing discretion and the penalty can vary sharply depending on the facts proven in court and the offender’s level of responsibility.
The trafficking charge is tied to section 5 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which prohibits trafficking in Schedule I substances. Justice Canada’s current schedule lists fentanyl among Schedule I drugs, and a conviction for trafficking a Schedule I substance by indictment carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Why the case matters beyond one Northern Ontario city
Police say this is the third time since 2023 that a drug poisoning death in Sault Ste. Marie has resulted in criminal charges. That makes the case notable nationally, as it highlights a tougher investigative and prosecutorial response in fatal fentanyl cases where police believe they can connect an overdose death to an identifiable alleged source.
