Thompson Rivers University vice-president died of accidental overdose: family

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The family of a British Columbia university executive who died suddenly last month says his death was caused by an accidental overdose.

Relatives of Christopher Seguin say in a statement that the 39-year-old man was taken to hospital following an overdose in his hotel room in Victoria and died on Sept. 22.

Seguin was vice-president of advancement at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

In an internal email to staff obtained by the media after Seguin was hospitalized, the university’s vice-chancellor said the family passed on a message that Seguin was critically ill and not expected to survive.

The family’s most recent statement says the cause of death doesn’t diminish him as a loving husband and father, and as a cherished son, brother and friend.

Seguin, who was born in Pinawa, Man., leaves a wife and two young sons.

“Christopher’s passion and the boundless energy which he used to help improve the lives of others are the stories that deserve our focus,” the statement said.

A celebration of Seguin’s life will be held in Kamloops on Saturday.

Seguin was a graduate of Kamloops High School and played varsity football at Simon Fraser University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in linguistics.

He focused his graduate work on international studies.

Seguin held a number of positions at Simon Fraser, including cultural liaison in the school’s international education department and advancement officer for athletics.

Thompson Rivers says he returned to Kamloops in 2007 and helped the university set “fundraising records virtually every year of the last decade, generating millions of dollars for student awards, groundbreaking research and major buildings.” (CFJC)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version reported the university issued a statement saying Seguin was hospitalized with a critical illness.