(File photo/CFJC Today).

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Coroner’s report provides a chance to break down a stigma

Mar 26, 2022 | 6:42 AM

WHEN YOUTH HOMELESSNESS advocate Katherine McParland died a year and a half ago, she was eulogized for her work raising awareness and funding for kids aging out of the foster care system.

She knew whereof she spoke, since she herself had been homeless for a time in her teens. She founded A Way Home Kamloops with the aim of creating safe housing for homeless youth, and she was a force in this city.

After the BC Coroner’s Service announced this week that an accidental drug overdose had caused her death, the tributes were renewed. There was no condemnation, no suggestion that she had brought it on herself, no unkind comments about people on drugs or complaints about what they cost the system. Well, almost none.

Instead, there was sympathy and overwhelming praise for what she had accomplished in turning her adversity into something tremendously positive. And that’s how it should be.

And yet, there’s been much negative reaction to the publishing of the coroner’s report. Media are being called all kinds of names, like “disgraceful,” “disrespectful,” “distasteful” and “disgusting.”

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To be clear, the media didn’t create the story themselves; they reported on the results of a BC Coroner’s Service investigation. These investigations often take a year or so to complete.

They reported the investigation in the context of McParland’s accomplishments and the reverence with which she’s held in the community but, of course, the news articles were a reminder of the community’s loss.

Some of the objections to publication of the findings are based on concern for the feelings of her loved ones as well as worries that her reputation would be damaged. Invasion of privacy is a serious issue; legitimate questions are being asked about why it was necessary to publish so much of the detail.

That sort of concern is understandable and arises from fears about the stigma surrounding drug addictions. It’s the same stigma that attaches to mental health struggles and suicide.

But keeping information about the manner of Katherine McParland’s death a secret would have done nothing to reduce the stigma; it would only perpetuate it. If we treat drug addictions as something to be ashamed of, as something we should keep hidden, how will we ever get rid of the stigma?

The public has a natural curiosity about the deaths of prominent citizens. When someone well-known in our community publicly suffers from mental health issues, dies of suicide or from a drug overdose (or drug “poisoning,” as one commenter has suggested as a more appropriate term), it presents a moment for some valuable public discussion.

When someone we’ve never heard of dies from a drug overdose, he or she is a statistic. We know nothing of their lives, nothing about what they’ve gone through. Some regard them, unkindly, as architects of their own misfortune.

It’s different with people we know about. We’re willing to look at their lives in their totality. We begin to understand that even high-functioning people can succumb to the lure of drugs, for many reasons. When a pillar of the community falls victim to a stigmatized condition, we become willing to talk about it and face our own biases. We think not just about the person whose name we know but about all those we don’t know, about the difference between the criminals and dealers versus those whose lives could be turned around with the right help.

Now that the coroner’s report has been released, it’s clear that fears McParland’s well-earned reputation as a pillar of the community would be tainted were unfounded. People know and remember her for the good she did. When we remember how she died we’ll do so in the context of her entire life, and we’ll understand that no one is immune. Maybe we’ll start thinking of people with drug addictions as real people with important stories.

Other high-profile people have died in similar circumstances and sometimes the full story never comes out. When it does, gossip quickly withers and, in its place, comes discussion about solutions. It breaks down the stigma, a pre-requisite to getting something done.

Maybe a statement from A Way Home Kamloops this week says it best: “One of the largest barriers to accessing support is the stigma associated with substance use. We hope that understanding Katherine’s struggle will help people understand the need for more accessible supports and inspire many to take action in whatever way is available to them.”

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.