A coroner’s jury in British Columbia has recommended high schools provide resuscitation training and demonstrations of how to use naloxone after ruling that the overdose death of a University of Victoria student last year was accidental.
The inquiry concluded that 18-year-old Sidney McIntyre-Starko passed away due to brain damage resulting from oxygen deprivation following the consumption of fentanyl.
The jury made 10 recommendations in its findings Thursday, including the training of high school students and that the University of Victoria create mandatory orientation for first-year students on how to obtain and administer naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose.
The panel indicated that the guide should additionally provide details about secure sites for drug testing, along with the assurance that “there will be no consequences for seeking such tests.”
Additional suggestions for provincial ministries entail equipping campus security personnel at every post-secondary institution with naloxone, supplemental oxygen, and an automated external defibrillator.
In January 2024, McIntyre-Starko consumed street drugs contaminated with fentanyl along with two fellow students in their university dormitory. A recent report indicated that she might have survived if she had been administered naloxone or provided with respiratory assistance.
University of Victoria president Kevin Hall said in a statement Thursday that the school “will take time to consider the findings of the inquest” for how it will inform its approach to overdose prevention and harm reduction.
“Universities and colleges across British Columbia have work to do, collectively, to help safeguard their communities against toxic drugs,” Hall said.
“The University of Victoria takes its role in this seriously. We remain committed to learning from this tragedy and taking the steps necessary to foster a safe and supportive environment for everyone at UVic.”
Hall also urged students, staff and faculty to review the university’s existing resources aimed at harm reduction and the toxic drug crisis.
The report looking into McIntyre-Starko’s death released in April by former Abbotsford, B.C., police chief Bob Rich found that the teen had collapsed and suffered a seizure after using the drugs.
The study revealed that she didn’t get the assistance required for 15 minutes partly due to one of the students claiming they hadn’t used drugs.
It also found that campus security guards did not check the teen for signs of overdose.
The report said at the time that “the only way forward is to look hard at what happened and learn by putting in place more training, rigorous processes, and safeguards so this tragedy is not repeated.”
Another person from the group of three students that included McIntyre-Starko also collapsed during the incident, but she survived after being given naloxone.
McIntyre-Starko was also eventually given naloxone and then taken to hospital. She was placed on life support within an hour of arriving but later died.
The report also said the school thought safeguards were in place since security had naloxone and had been trained to administer it, but what happened that day shows these preventive measures “did not meet the moment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
Chuck Chiang from The Canadian Press
