General inqutes: (250) 287-5855 947 Fot Steet Tone ate serze Po Bor 0099 sn Pov Gon mbudsperson ro 280 9870788 Oa Bo VB Sas August 13, 2013 File: 12-121033 Mr. Rick Frey aan CAMPBELL RIVER BC (Qa Dear Mr. Frey: Thank you for speaking with me on July 18, 2013. I am writing to confirm my decision to stop our investigation of your complaint about the B.C. Coroners Service. You contacted us because you did not believe that the Coroners Service responded fairly and reasonably to concems that you raised about the handling of the remains of your daughter, Marnie. ‘When we spoke in October of 2012 you told me the following: © In the summer of 2010 the Metro Vancouver Regional Coroner phoned you and asked for your consent to have the remains cremated. * When you subsequently met the Regional Coroner to pick up the remains you were told that they had been cremated. * After bringing the remains home to Campbell River, you discovered that the remains had not been cremated. + Following this discovery, you contacted the Coroners Service and raised a number of concerns and asked a number of questions about the process that was followed in handling the remains. You were not satisfied with the response. © The Coroners Service ignored your written correspondence. We investigated whether the Coroners Service followed a reasonable process in responding to the issues you raised about the way in which they dealt with the remains of your daughter. Shortly after we started our investigation, the Coroners Service wrote you a letter (dated. November 29, 2012) that outlined the steps that were taken in response to your concems. In the letter, the Coroners Service described the process it followed in handling the remains and . confirmed that the remains were not cremated but were processed using an alternative method. ‘The Coroners Service also indicated that it had fully responded to your requests for information and could not provide you with anything further. o During our investigation we reviewed the Coroners Service’s file relating to the matter. We questioned whether the information that was provided to you was sufficient to address all of the {issues that you raised. In particular, it appeared as though the Coroners Service did not address your concer that the alterative process was used without your consent and that you were not provided with information about the process that was used at the time you received the remains,Mr. Rick Frey Page 2 Following consultation with our office, the Coroners Service agreed to write you a letter acknowledging that it did not follow its usual process in handling the remains and apologizing for using the alternative method without obtaining your consent and for not clearly communicating to you that the alternative process had been used. I have reviewed a copy of the letter (dated June 27, 2013). In the letter, the Coroners Service, * confirmed that the management of the remains was not in accordance with its standard practice and indicated that the Coroners’ Service would not involve itself in the disposition. of remains in future cases; + acknowledged that the Regional Coroner should have obtained your written consent to cremate the remains and should have contacted you before undertaking the alternative process; ‘+ acknowledged that any discussions with you about the cremation or alternatives should have been documented in writing to avoid miscommunications or misunderstandings; ‘+ apologized for failing to ensure that all conversations, decisions and steps undertaken with respect to the remains were confirmed with written documentation; and * apologized for any additional stress or anxiety that you and your family have experienced which may have resulted from the handling of the remains. Section 13(i) of the Ombudsperson Act authorizes me to stop an investigation where the complaint is settled in consultation with an authority. As we discussed when we spoke on July 18, 2013, Tam satisfied that the Coroners Service’s letter of June 27 adequately and appropriately addresses the your complaint. Accordingly, I consider your complaint settled and have decided to stop investigation on that basis. Our file is now closed. If you have any questions about this leter please do not hesitate to contact me at 250-387-0400. Thank you for bringing your concems to our attention. Brent Reems Ombudsperson Officer 13. The Ombudsperson may refuse to investigate or cease investigating a complaint if, in the opinion of the ‘Ombudsperson, any ofthe following apply: (Othe complaint is settled under section 14, . RSBC. 1996 142) Atany time during or after an investigation the Ombudsperson may consult with an authority to attempt o settle the complaint, or for any other purpose RS.BC. 1996