Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, confirmed local police reports of sudden deaths over the four day of extreme heat-wave in BC, saying over 400 deaths were reported but the final tally could see many more people who may have died directly related to the heat. "The last five days in British Columbia have seen an unprecedented number of deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service. Between Friday and 1 p.m. today, at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported to our agency. This number is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter death reports into our system. The 486 deaths currently entered represent a 195% increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period, said Lapointe.

By R. Paul Dhillon – Editor-Founder DESIBUZZCanada

VICTORIA - Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, confirmed local police reports of sudden deaths over the four day of extreme heat-wave in BC, saying over 400 deaths were reported but the final tally could see many more people who may have died directly related to the heat.

"The last five days in British Columbia have seen an unprecedented number of deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service. Between Friday and 1 p.m. today, at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths have been reported to our agency. This number is preliminary and will increase as coroners enter death reports into our system. The 486 deaths currently represented a 195% increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period, said Lapointe.

"While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather B.C. has experienced and continues to impact many parts of our province.

"Coroners have been working around the clock alongside law enforcement, first responders and others ensuring we are able to respond to the needs of communities as expeditiously and efficiently as possible. Due to the much-greater-than-usual number of reported deaths in some areas, there have been instances where there have been delays in coroners responding to scenes of reported death. We have reallocated resources and are continuing to do everything within our power to minimize wait times. I acknowledge and thank our law enforcement partners for their invaluable assistance throughout this period.

"It is important we do not lose sight of the fact that each reported death is a person with a family and people who cared about them. Once again, I extend my heartfelt condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one during this very difficult time,” Lapointe concluded.

Coroner’s confirmation of deaths comes on the heels of local police departments reporting on attending countless sudden deaths calls.

 Vancouver Police said they are redeploying dozens of officers and are pleading for people to only call 9-1-1 during emergencies, as heat-related deaths have depleted front-line resources and severely delayed response times throughout the city.

 “Vancouver has never experienced heat like this, and sadly dozens of people are dying because of it,” says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. “Our officers are stretched thin, but we’re still doing everything we can to keep people safe.”

As of 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, VPD officers had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heat wave began on Friday, with more casualties being reported by the hour. Today alone, officers had responded to 20 sudden deaths as of 1:45 p.m., with more than a dozen others waiting for police to be dispatched.

 “The vast majority of these cases are related to the heat,” adds Sergeant Addison. “We’ve never seen anything like this, and it breaks our hearts. If you have an elderly or vulnerable family member, please give them a call or stop by to check on them.”

Burnaby RCMP is also urging people to check on loved ones and neighbours as the heatwave bringing record-breaking temperatures continues in Metro Vancouver.

In a 24 hour period since Monday, Burnaby RCMP has responded to more than 25 sudden death calls. Although still under investigation, heat is believed to be a contributing factor in the majority of the deaths. Many of the deceased have been seniors.

“Check on your neighbours, check on family members, check on seniors you may know,” said Cpl. Mike Kalanj with Burnaby RCMP.

“We are seeing this weather can be deadly for vulnerable members of our community, especially the elderly and those with underlying health issues. It is imperative we check on one another during this extreme heat,” Kalanj added.

Burnaby RCMP activated its Extreme Heat Response Plan on Friday, June 25. Additional officers have been doing proactive patrols to reach vulnerable and unhoused community members to connect them with resources, and provide information about three City of Burnaby cooling locations.

They are located at:

• Edmonds Community Centre (7433 Edmonds St.)
• McGill Library (4595 Albert St.)
• Bob Prittie Metrotown Library (6100 Willingdon Ave.)

“As we see the devastating impact of the heat, we want people to know there are safe and cool places for them to take refuge from this extreme weather,” Kalanj said.

BC broke59 temperature records from 1895 at the peak of the B.C. heat wave.

Surrey RCMP told CTV News there has also been a higher than average number of sudden deaths in their city since the beginning of the extreme heat wave.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Mounties said they have responded to 13 deaths so far, preceded by 22 on Monday.

They add the coroner has not confirmed the cause of death in these cases, but confirmed a large number are seniors.