'A lot of trust was lost': UVic students push for accountability after student's fatal overdose

2 month_ago 31

British Columbia·New

University of Victoria students say they invited the institution's committedness to instrumentality the recommendations successful a caller study pursuing the overdose death of a University of Victoria pupil but wonder wherefore captious life-saving prevention measures weren't adopted earlier.

Students telephone for accrued transparency and amended communication

Emily Fagan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Two students marque   a presumption    to different   students successful  a classroom.

Zachariah Fenniri and Adrianna Balic marque a presumption to UVic students to advocator for mandatory harm simplification grooming for students successful dorms pursuing the decease of first-year pupil Sidney McIntyre-Starko. (Submitted by Adrianna Balic)

University of Victoria students say they invited the institution's committedness to instrumentality the recommendations successful a caller study pursuing the overdose death of a University of Victoria pupil but wonder wherefore captious life-saving prevention measures weren't adopted earlier.

The study into the decease of Sidney McIntyre-Starko, a first-year pupil who died aft taking drugs connected campus, contains 18 recommendations aimed astatine improving the university's overdose prevention and effect measures.

Isabelle Easton, UVic Student Society's manager of campaigns and assemblage relations, says the pupil nine had spent years pushing for changes that mightiness person proved life-saving if they had been adopted by the assemblage anterior to McIntyre-Starko's death, including mandatory naloxone grooming for pupil unit successful residences, on-campus cause testing, and world amnesty for students seeking aesculapian assistance successful a crisis.

"Substance-related deaths are preventable, and they should ne'er hap connected campus," said Easton. "It's incredibly frustrating that the assemblage failed to support these students due to the fact that they failed to perceive to the students successful the archetypal place."

The report, written by erstwhile Abbotsford constabulary main Bob Rich, says McIntyre-Starko "likely would not person died" if the university's effect had been better.

A young miss  with a canine  connected  a couch.

Sidney McIntyre-Starko, 18, died successful January 2024 aft a cardiac apprehension owed to a fentanyl poisoning, according to her parents. Premier David Eby says a coroner's inquest volition analyse her death, aft her household raised allegations of failures by field information and 911 operators to prevention her life. (SidneyShouldBeHere.ca)

McIntyre-Starko took drugs for the archetypal clip successful a field residence gathering with 2 different first-year students 1 evening successful January 2024, according to the report. She rapidly mislaid consciousness, on with 1 of the different students who was revived aft bystanders called field information and archetypal responders.

The 18-year-old suffered a cardiac apprehension from fentanyl poisoning and died successful infirmary days aft the overdose, according to her parents. 

Easton says galore of the measures recommended successful the study were policies the UVSS had been advocating for implicit the past 5 to 10 years.

"The UVSS, on with galore students connected this campus, spot this arsenic a nonaccomplishment of the instauration and of the system," she said. "[The report] acknowledges miscommunication and the gaps successful the exigency response, but it truly avoids naming it arsenic systemic negligence and arsenic the strategy not being designed to support students good enough."

a building

UVic's pupil nine manager of campaigns says UVic should person adopted stronger overdose prevention measures sooner. ((University of Victoria Students' Society))

University says it volition instrumentality each recommendations

UVic president Kevin Hall says the assemblage volition instrumentality each 18 of the report's recommendations, which include:

  • Designating assemblage officials to oversee and analyse captious incidents connected campus.
  •  The instauration of situation communications and household liaison roles, further first-aid grooming and resources.
  • Implementing and advertizing a aesculapian amnesty argumentation for those calling for assistance with a suspected overdose.
  • Increasing the organisation of harm simplification supplies connected campus.

Hall says astir of the recommendations should beryllium implemented earlier September, and the assemblage has already worked to amended transparency since McIntyre-Starko's death, along with different measures taken successful the past year, specified arsenic installing opioid exigency kits with nasal naloxone connected each pupil residence floor.

Easton says she is encouraged to spot the assemblage assistance grow the UVSS's naloxone grooming sessions, on with holding a caller assembly with 50 students to perceive their feedback connected harm simplification and harm simplification supplies connected campus.

However, immoderate students are inactive wary of the university's committedness to enactment successful the aftermath of the report.

"Frankly, I consciousness similar I've mislaid a batch of trust," said Adrianna Balic, a fourth-year UVic pupil who is 1 of respective who created an online petition advocating for mandatory naloxone grooming for students surviving connected field past autumn successful effect to McIntyre-Starko's death.

Zachariah Fenniri, who completed his UVic grade past autumn and present works arsenic a intelligence wellness situation archetypal responder, calls the study "one portion of the puzzle" of the changes needed astatine UVic. 

He is among those supporting the petition arsenic good arsenic greater overdose prevention consciousness among students connected campus.

"I deliberation that determination are immoderate affirmative takeaways, but to telephone this a implicit effect to the decease of a pupil connected campus, I think, is insufficient," said Fenniri.

He says immoderate of the recommendations springiness the university a task that is abbreviated connected specifics. For instance, one recommends UVic increase the organisation of harm simplification supplies, but doesn't accidental how, wherever oregon to what extent.

A brownish  gathering  with a country   storefront and ample  solid  windows with a logo connected  them that says Substance Uvic wrong  a ample  bluish  circle.

Substance UVic is operating a thoroughfare cause investigating tract astatine a storefront connected the country of North Park and Cook Street successful Victoria, B.C. (Piotr Burek/Twitter)

Fenniri says helium is besides discouraged that the assemblage has not yet responded to the petition for mandatory naloxone grooming and that the contented was not reflected successful the report. 

The assemblage says it is alert of the petition, noting it was discussed astatine the pupil assembly, but did not accidental whether mandatory naloxone grooming is thing it is considering for students surviving connected campus.

Beyond measures laid retired successful the recommendations and petition, students accidental they besides privation to spot on-campus entree to cause investigating facilities. Although UVic funds Substance Drug Testing, it is located off-campus and is simply a 30-minute transit commute.

For the assemblage to beryllium it is superior astir improving transparency and preventing aboriginal overdoses, Easton says it needs to amusement it is listening to students.

"A batch of spot was mislaid betwixt UVic arsenic an instauration and the pupil body, specifically residence communities," she said. 

"I deliberation rebuilding it means that the assemblage has to perceive to and enactment with students, alternatively of conscionable releasing statements and benignant of talking astatine america and telling america what the problems are and however they're going to hole it — they request to prosecute students successful that process."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Fagan is simply a writer based successful Victoria, B.C. She was antecedently a unit newsman for the Toronto Star. Her enactment has besides appeared successful publications including the Globe and Mail, Vice, and the Washington Post. You tin nonstop her tips astatine [email protected].

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