BC has a new chief coroner.
Dr. Jatinder Baidwan was appointed to the position on Thursday, replacing Lisa LaPointe, who retired from the role in February after 13 years.
He previously served as the chief medical officer for the BC Coroners Service. Prior to taking on that role in 2017, he was the chief medical officer and executive vice-president for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, now called Island Health.
After the 2021 heat dome event in BC, Baidwan led the investigation which looked into the deaths caused by the excessive heat, and made recommendations to protect people in the future. He has also been working to create a postmortem diagnostic services network throughout the province.
Before stepping down from her position, LaPointe expressed disappointment in the government’s lack of interest in her proposal to expand access to controlled illicit drugs without a prescription, to help save lives.
