Did John Rustad witness an overdose death on his way to the B.C. leaders' debate?
During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province – and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.
"I was on my way over here, and at the corner of Robson and Hornby (streets) there's an individual who died, and there was emergency people rushing. This person died from an overdose. This is the British Columbia that David Eby has created," Rustad said during the debate.
The BC Coroner's Service, which investigates every overdose death in the province, told CTV News it is "not investigating a drug toxicity death" at that location Tuesday.
The first question Rustad was asked after the debate was about the story he told, and what exactly he saw. His answer began with an explanation of why he said what he said.
"I think it's becoming commonplace in British Columbia for somebody to be on the street dead. And I think that's wrong. British Columbia should not be accepting that as normal. I said that story at the beginning to emphasize that this is not normal," he said, before moving on to a description.
"What I saw from out the window as I was looking down was this individual on the ground with emergency people pumping his chest and trying to bring him back to life and an ambulance coming up."
Rustad did not elaborate – either during the debate or when asked afterward – on how he knew the person had used drugs or how he knew the person had died.
BC Emergency Health Services told CTV News it has "no records of any patient events on Oct. 8 with a location of Robson and Hornby Streets, or on the blocks immediately adjacent to that intersection."
Rustad responds
In light of the information provided by the agencies that would have responded to a medical emergency like the one Rustad described, CTV News asked him about his anecdote again Wednesday.
"There was somebody who was lying on the sidewalk. There were some people who were performing CPR on them, trying to bring them back to life. An ambulance drove up with the sirens on, and of course, at that point we had left," he said.
"Clearly, when somebody is doing CPR, that means they're trying to bring somebody back to life. I hope they were successful in being able to do that, I really do."
After being told that the coroners service has said no one did – in fact – die, Rustad said he would like to thank first responders for their life-saving work.
He also said incident was "disturbing" and "something unfortunately that we're seeing far too often on streets across this province."
Indoor overdose deaths far more likely
In the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 17 per cent of deaths from toxic drugs between 2021 and the end of July 2024 have been outside, according to the BC Coroner's Service. The category "outside" includes streets and sidewalks but also vehicles, public parks, wooded areas and campgrounds. In contrast, 78 per cent happened indoors at homes or other residences.
Data from other health authorities reveals a similar trend, a percentage of outdoor deaths ranging from 15 to 20 per cent.
While six people a day are dying, on average, in 2024 – the annual rate of death from toxic drugs is "less than the annual rates in any of the past three years," according to the coroner's service.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates: Hurricane Milton set to make landfall in Florida
Hurricane Milton's northern eyewall has begun to spread onshore of Florida's gulf coast near Tampa and St. Petersburg where extreme wind warnings are in effect, the U.S. National Hurricane Center says.
Pilot dies aboard Turkish Airlines flight, forcing emergency landing in New York
A Turkish Airlines jetliner headed from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after the captain died on board, an airline official said.
Hundreds of thousands of popular vehicles recalled in Canada over steering issue
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
video Why are there cars in the Detroit River?
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
'We want things to go forward': Bloc leader hints his party 'might' help end House impasse
The leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party 'might play a role' in helping the Liberals get House of Commons business rolling again — after days of Conservative-led debate on a privilege matter — but that his assistance would come at a cost.
Former CIA director says Israel 'unlikely' to target Iranian nuclear sites as retaliation
Former CIA Director and retired Gen. David Petraeus says it is 'unlikely' Israel will target Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for last week's ballistic missile attack.
Rare Monet returned to family more than 80 years after it was stolen by Nazis
A Claude Monet pastel painting stolen by Nazis during World War II, which vanished for decades only to show up with a Louisiana art dealer, was returned Wednesday in New Orleans to the descendants of its original owners.
Women say they were kicked off of Spirit Airlines flight for what they were wearing
Two Orange County women are speaking out after they say they were kicked off of a Spirit Airlines flight because of what they were wearing.
Human smuggling charge laid against Winnipeg man: RCMP
A 42-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with human smuggling following an investigation near a Canada-U.S. border crossing in Manitoba.