Kamloops homeless advocate died of fentanyl overdose: coroner

A B.C. Coroner's report has confirmed that well-known Kamloops homeless advocate Katherine McParland died of a fentanyl overdose.

McParland was the executive director of A Way Home Kamloops and died Dec. 5, 2020.

According to a B.C. Coroner's report, McParland was found unresponsive in bed by a friend. Paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner's report states McParland had a history with illicit substance use but had been abstinent for a long period of time and only recently relapsed before her death.

One week before her death she'd received treatment in hospital for complications associated with substance use.

"At the time of her death, Ms. McParland was not followed by a physician, had not participated in any recovery programs and was not receiving opioid agonist treatment," the coroner's report says.

The report states that paraphernalia associated with substance use was present near her "purple rock-like substance, powder residue, burnt tin foil with residue."

"Toxicology analysis detected fentanyl within a range where lethal outcomes have been reported," the report states.

McParland was well known in the community and founded and managed A Way Home Kamloops organization, a movement to end youth homelessness, an issue close to her heart as she was once a homeless youth.

In March 2020 B.C. Housing announced a student bursary set up in her name. The bursary is aimed toward social work or community service students who are continuing McParland's legacy within youth homelessness advocacy.

— This story was corrected at 5:18 p.m., May 25, 2022, to refer to McParland's organization as A Way Home Kamloops, not A Way Home.

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