Inquest will be held into death of Vancouver police officer who died by suicide
December 2022 Update: The family of Nicole Chan has amended their lawsuit to remove allegations against Greg McCullough.
An inquest will be held to determine the details surrounding the suicide of a Vancouver police officer nearly four years ago.
A statement issued by the BC Coroners Service Thursday says the inquest into the death of Const. Nicole Chan will take place in January 2023.
The Vancouver Police Department reported the 30-year-old's death to the BC Coroners Service on Jan. 27, 2019.
The chief coroner has the power to hold an inquest if she believes "the public has an interest in being informed of the circumstances surrounding the death."
A jury will hear evidence from witnesses and then will have the opportunity to make recommendations aimed at preventing deaths under similar circumstances in the future.
The inquest comes just months after Chan's family brought forward a lawsuit against the VPD, alleging in court documents that Chan endured sexual assault and exploitation enabled by an "unsafe workplace culture and insufficient policies and procedures.”
Chan took her own life after struggling with mental health issues, which the lawsuit alleges were compounded by her relationships with other officers, as well as the force's handling of an investigation into those relationships.
The lawsuit initially named as defendants Sgt. Greg McCullough and Sgt. David Van Patten, two senior officers with whom Chan had relationships with at different times during her 10-year tenure with the VPD, though the family's claims against McCullough have since been withdrawn.
Both of the officers have since left the VPD. McCullough retired while Van Patten was dismissed.
The lawsuit also references two other officers who had sexual relationships with Chan, including one who “held a superior rank,” though they are not named as defendants.
The inquest will begin at the Burnaby Coroners' Court on Jan. 23, 2023.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Lisa Steacy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.