B.C. reservist Kirby Tott's cause of death won't be made public: Manitoba chief medical examiner
CBC News | Posted: August 14, 2015 1:53 PM | Last Updated: August 14, 2015
Canadian Forces will hold its own inquiry into why Tott suddenly collapsed
Manitoba's chief medical examiner's office says it won't publicly release its findings into the cause of death of B.C. reservist Pte. Kirby Tott, saying it's a "private matter."
Tott had been training with the Rocky Mountain Rangers at Canadian Forces Base Shilo in western Manitoba. He was reinforcing trenches on a hot day in July when he collapsed.
Defence Minister Jason Kenney told reporters at the time that an ambulance was called to the base and Tott was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead.
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"It appears to have been related to a medical condition; that is to say, it was not a direct result of a training accident," Kenney said at the time.
However, Tott's family say the 25-year-old Prince George man was healthy and had no medical problems that they knew about.
Military to hold inquiry
An autopsy has been completed but the pathologist's report won't be ready for three to six months, said Mark O'Rourke, director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manitoba.
O' Rourke said Tott's cause of death is "personal health information and a private matter," even though he died on a military base. However, he added that the medical information will be shared with the military if it asks for it.
Fraser Logan, a public affairs officer for the Canadian Forces, said the military will convene a board of inquiry into Tott's death and look at the medical examiner's findings.
Logan said the board will look at "everything leading up to the events surrounding the death of Private Tott, so that essentially we can change the way we do business in the future so that this never happens again."
However, the board of inquiry has no deadline and Logan can't say when Tott's family and friends will get some answers.