Liberal MLA asks what's being done to improve coroner response times on P.E.I.

A Liberal MLA wants to know what government is doing to improve response times from coroner services across P.E.I. 

Hal Perry raised the issue in the legislature Tuesday, saying it's a concern he shares with many in his district.

"Response times for death investigations can be longer than three hours at times and this is a burden on families," Perry said. 

Perry said in 2016, P.E.I.'s Coroners Act was amended to allow the chief coroner to appoint field investigators, who could also respond to postmortem investigations and improve response times. 

He said the amendment was designed to improve the coroner coverage Island-wide, specifically when it comes to postmortem transportation and examinations.

Perry asked Minister of Justice and Public Safety Bloyce Thompson what his department has done since then to improve that coverage. 

"In my areas of the Island we haven't seen any changes to response times," Perry said.

"What else is your department doing to improve responsiveness of the coroners services here on Prince Edward Island?"

Thompson said he recognizes how important it is for coroners to respond as quickly as possible. 

He said his department is currently doing a review of the coroner's office and its services to see where improvements can be made. That review began this spring and aims to modernize services and processes. 

"I truly do acknowledge the importance of this," Thompson said.

"It's a crucial time for the family members to deal with this."

Perry said under the amended act, field investigators could include nurses or paramedics the chief coroner grants authority to conduct investigations. He wants to know whether any investigators have been appointed since the act was amended.

"I know of recent accidents where families had to wait on the roadside with their loved one to be either pronounced dead or for the body to be removed for several hours," Perry said.