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April 01, 2024 - 7:00 AM
Lower Mainland morgues are running out of space, so the province is looking for private storage.
The BC Coroners' Service wants to contract out space for bodies, pointing the blame at the ongoing drug crisis that kills thousands each year.
In 2016, coroners service staff started surveying available morgue space in Greater Vancouver at the start of every shift, according to a request for proposals issued recently.
Since then, the coroners service has contracted out 250 refrigerated storage spaces to use when hospital morgues are too crowded in the Vancouver area.
The request for proposals doesn't reference the availability of morgue space in other regions of the province, but Interior Health said it has been an issue over the years.
When there is an unexpected increase in deaths and and the need for body storage, Interior Health gets assistance from "community partners." A health authority spokesperson did not provide any details about what might cause the increase or how often that occurs.
It's not clear whether coroners are able to keep up with the demand for autopsies or whether that has contributed to the need for more space.
The coroners service callout for contractors includes not only a need for storage, but also for toxicology sampling.
The coroners service did not respond to questions from iNFOnews.ca.
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