Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

BC Coroners Service says no record of fatal overdose where Rustad says he saw man die

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Oct, 2024 03:38 PM
  • BC Coroners Service says no record of fatal overdose where Rustad says he saw man die

The BC Coroners Service says it has no record of any recent drug toxicity death at a Vancouver intersection where B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad said he saw a man die on his way to a televised election debate. 

Rustad told Tuesday's party leaders' debate that he saw someone die "from an overdose" on the corner of Robson and Hornby streets in Vancouver, later telling a news conference he watched first responders "pumping his chest" as an ambulance arrived.

The BC Coroners Service says it would be notified of a deadly overdose and it has no record of such an event in the last two and a half weeks at the location given by Rustad.

The service says if first responders were on scene and a person died "a coroner would be called," and it would also be notified if a person received resuscitation but later died in hospital. 

BC Emergency Health Services also says it has "no records of any patient events" on Tuesday at the corner of Robson and Hornby streets, "or on the blocks immediately adjacent to that intersection."

Neither Rustad nor the B.C. Conservative Party responded to a request for comment about what Rustad says he saw.

He had used the anecdote during his debate with NDP Leader David Eby and Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau as an illustration of what he called "the British Columbia that David Eby has created."

"I was on my way over here, and on the corner of Robson and Hornby, there was an individual who died, and there was emergency people rushing (around). This person died from an overdose," he said.

He was asked to elaborate at the post-debate press conference.

"(What) I saw from the window as I was looking down at this individual on the ground with the emergency people pumping his chest trying to bring him back to life and an ambulance coming up ... I mean, it just, it's horrendous to think that that is becoming normal place on our streets here in Vancouver and across this province."

BC Coroners Service media relations manager Amber Schinkel said in an emailed response to questions that she had "reviewed drug toxicity deaths in Vancouver since September 25, 2024, and there is nothing near this address."

Asked if there were circumstances in which the service would not record a death, she said if it involved drug toxicity the coroner would be notified.

"If first responders had attempted to resuscitate a person at a scene and the person died, a coroner would be called. If first responders transported the person to hospital, where they later died, the Coroners Service would still be notified," she said.

She said an exception was if a person was in their home in the area and under a doctor's care when they died, "a death through MAID for example," then the service would not be notified.

MORE National ARTICLES

Students, recent immigrants hit hard by weakening job market, StatCan data suggests

Students, recent immigrants hit hard by weakening job market, StatCan data suggests
Students who have been hunting for a summer job and recent immigrants looking for work have felt the brunt of the country's weakening labour market, Statistics Canada's latest employment report shows. The federal agency’s July labour force survey released on Friday says the overall jobless rate held steady at 6.4 per cent last month as the economy shed a modest 2,800 jobs.

Students, recent immigrants hit hard by weakening job market, StatCan data suggests

Woman from United States dead after highway crash in southeastern B.C.

Woman from United States dead after highway crash in southeastern B.C.
Police in southeastern British Columbia say one person is dead after a highway crash just outside the community of Field, B.C., near the Alberta boundary. RCMP say the two-vehicle crash on Thursday involved a pick-up truck carrying two people from the United States and a minivan with three people from Alberta. 

Woman from United States dead after highway crash in southeastern B.C.

B.C. fisherman fined $33K for harvesting in 'globally unique' glass-sponge reefs

B.C. fisherman fined $33K for harvesting in 'globally unique' glass-sponge reefs
The owner of a commercial halibut vessel in British Columbia has received more than $33,000 in fines for fishing in a marine protected area containing glass sponge reefs unique to the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Fisheries and Oceans Canada says a provincial court judge handed down the fine in May to Brent Belveal, who pleaded guilty to offences under the Fisheries Act.

B.C. fisherman fined $33K for harvesting in 'globally unique' glass-sponge reefs

Canada and Australia's defence ministers meet on co-operation

Canada and Australia's defence ministers meet on co-operation
Defence Minster Bill Blair and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles announced an agreement to bolster their countries' relationships, along with their collective ability to respond to everything from global challenges to malicious cyber threats. 

Canada and Australia's defence ministers meet on co-operation

Ottawa calls $8-million price tag for animal captivity bill speculative, premature

Ottawa calls $8-million price tag for animal captivity bill speculative, premature
The estimated costs are largely associated with building and administering a new data system to keep track of the animals. Right now, there are 23 elephants and about 30 gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. The federal government called the conclusion speculative, noting it is based on legislation that hasn't even passed yet. 

Ottawa calls $8-million price tag for animal captivity bill speculative, premature

Fight brewing at CRTC over first Online News Act payment by Google

Fight brewing at CRTC over first Online News Act payment by Google
A new fight is playing out at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission over the first $100-million annual payment Google agreed to pay Canadian news outlets.  The Canadian Journalism Collective, the group tasked by Google to distribute the money to news outlets, has submitted plans for its governance structure to the CRTC. 

Fight brewing at CRTC over first Online News Act payment by Google