B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has changed his story about seeing a man die of a drug overdose on his way to a televised election debate, after the BC Coroners Service said it had no record of such a death where he said it occurred.
Rustad had told TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 party leadersB次元官网网址� debate that he saw someone die B次元官网网址渇rom an overdoseB次元官网网址� on the corner of Robson and Hornby streets in Vancouver, later telling a news conference he watched first responders B次元官网网址減umping his chestB次元官网网址� as an ambulance arrived.
Rustad now says on social media that what he saw actually happened near the intersection of Burrard and Davie streets and heB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渙verjoyed to hear a life was saved.B次元官网网址�
The BC Coroners Service had said earlier it would be notified of a deadly overdose and it had no record of such an event in the last two and a half weeks at the location initially given by Rustad.
The service said if first responders were on scene and a person died, B次元官网网址渁 coroner would be called,B次元官网网址� and it would also be notified if a person received resuscitation but later died in hospital.
BC Emergency Health Services also said it had B次元官网网址渘o records of any patient eventsB次元官网网址� on Tuesday at the corner of Robson and Hornby streets, B次元官网网址渙r on the blocks immediately adjacent to that intersection.B次元官网网址�
Rustad later posted a blurry photo of a group of people on the street that he said showed what he witnessed before the debate.
B次元官网网址淚 did not take this photo, it was sent to me. There was an ambulance at the scene when I saw it,B次元官网网址� he wrote late Wednesday.
B次元官网网址淢y staff walked by as CPR was happening. One lady said B次元官网网址楬eB次元官网网址檚 overdosed.B次元官网网址� Another said B次元官网网址楬eB次元官网网址檚 gone.B次元官网网址� IB次元官网网址檓 overjoyed to hear a life was saved thanks to heroic efforts of first responders.B次元官网网址�
His account on social media differed from what he described during and after the debate on Tuesday night, on multiple points including whether the person was dead, the location and whether Rustad personally witnessed resuscitation efforts.
Rustad 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 B次元官网网址渢he British Columbia that David Eby has created.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 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,B次元官网网址� he said near the start of the debate.
He was asked to elaborate at the post-debate press conference.
B次元官网网址�(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 B次元官网网址� I mean, it just, itB次元官网网址檚 horrendous to think that that is becoming normal place on our streets here in Vancouver and across this province.B次元官网网址�
Amber Schinkel, media relations manager for the BC Coroners Service, said in an emailed response to questions that she had B次元官网网址渞eviewed drug toxicity deaths in Vancouver since Sept. 25, 2024, and there is nothing nearB次元官网网址� the address Rustad originally gave.
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.
B次元官网网址淚f 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,B次元官网网址� she said.
She said an exception was if a person was in their home in the area and under a doctorB次元官网网址檚 care when they died, B次元官网网址渁 death through MAID for example,B次元官网网址� then the service would not be notified.
Rustad did not respond to requests for comment.
