Sidney was a bright, talented, engaging 18 year old general science student at the University of Victoria.
- She died a preventable death -
The systems designed to protect her allowed her to die.
Opioid poisoning is the leading cause of death in our youth in BC. This province has done little to help protect our young people who may occasionally experiment with, or inadvertently be exposed to drugs that are contaminated with deadly fentanyl.
We have written an open letter asking the BC government to do more to stop the deaths:
Letter submitted to UVic President, Senate, Board of Governors
June 4, 2024
Vancouver Sun article: Fentanyl poisoning on UVic campus
May 16, 2024
What you can do to help:
Follow SidneyShouldBeHere. This will help propagate this message, show the government support of these initiatives, and allow us to keep you updated with any progress that we make.
Click this button and an email will be ready to send that contains the text written in the following lines. This is a pre-written email that asks the Premier to pursue the listed goals:
Demand that province of BC:
- MAKE CPR AND NALOXONE TRAINING MANDATORY IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM in BC. No school or district should decide who gets to learn how to stay safe and save a life. The ACT foundation provides free training.
- MAKE EASY-TO-USE NASAL NALOXONE WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR FREE IN BC. It has been free in Ontario and Quebec for 6 years. A recent study shows nasal naloxone is cost effective and will save more lives.
- MAKE NASAL NALOXONE KITS/BOXES WIDELY AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE IN SCHOOLS AND ON CAMPUSES IN BC. Naloxone must be nearby and available to save a young person’s life.
- MAKE TEACHING ABOUT HARM REDUCTION MANDATORY AT UNIVERSITY AND HIGH SCHOOL ORIENTATIONS. USE LANGUAGE THAT STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND.
- THE GOVERNMENT MUST REVIEW THE UNREGULATED ‘MEDICAL RESPONSE SYSTEM’ IN BC UNIVERSITIES AND TAKE STEPS TO MAKE THEM SAFER.
- PUBLIC HEALTH MUST BE NOTIFIED OF OPIOID-RELATED OVERDOSES IN HIGH SCHOOLS AND ON CAMPUSES.
- ENSURE A CORONER’S INQUEST TO REVIEW THE OVERWHELMING FAILURES IN CAILIN SIDNEY MCINTYRE-STARKO’S DEATH. MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO ANOTHER YOUNG PERSON IN BC.
In the debate in the legislature on Thursday May 16 David Eby stated that “The Solicitor General will be directing a coroner’s inquest.“
Let David Eby know that he needs to do more to protect young people in BC from dangerous opioids and other drugs that are flooding this country.
If you are not in his constituency, please CC your MLA on this message.
This link gets you to a page where you can find your MLA.
Other government contacts:
Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills: Lisa Beare
Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions: Jennifer Whiteside
There is an opioid crisis in BC
We must do more to stop our young from dying.
Sidney should be here.
Explore these important initiatives:
Sidney should be here.
On January 23, 2024, University of Victoria campus security responded to Sidney with enough time to save her. They were trained in CPR and carried nasal naloxone. Instead of acting right away, they waited 9 minutes before giving naloxone, and 12 minutes to start CPR. The 911 operator took 3.5 minutes just to figure out a location on campus before she even asked what was going on.
If this is what can happen with 911 and campus security, a university can turn into a death trap for your student if they suffer a life threatening emergency while on campus.
Contact us
FAQs
I am saddened to read comments by Vancouver Sun readers that have only read parts of this story, and/or feel…
« If this is what can happen with 911 and campus security, a university can turn into a death trap for…
I’m so sorry to read about the tragic loss of your daughter Sidney, it’s so heartbreaking. And thank-you for creating…
I am so very sorry for your loss, Caroline. I can’t imagine your grief and anger. Meite and I have…
Tragedy and a sad loss ! Good call to action but let’s add parents teaching their youth / young adults…
Click here to see all responses to
“Sidney Should Be Here”.
34 responses
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I am saddened to read comments by Vancouver Sun readers that have only read parts of this story, and/or feel the need to make judgements or comments that are only self serving. Stop blaming the family and the child!! This was a PREVENTABLE death. It doesn’t matter the color or her skin, her socio-economic status, her age, or what she or her parents do or did. The mother is a Vancouver ER doctor for 25 years, saving lives from overdoses. Do you know the grief these parents are enduring? Even with unbearable pain, they are working tirelessly and selflessly to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else by calling for measures into place to help others. Measures that are already in place at other universities.
The strength they have to do this at this time is commendable. Yes, Sidney should be here. She is not. But that doesn’t mean that nothing should be done. Thank you Caroline & Ken for trying to make a difference for British Columbians. -
« If this is what can happen with 911 and campus security, a university can turn into a death trap for your student if they suffer a life threatening emergency while on campus. »
Strong statement.
Much appreciation to you for building this page and the advice for local leaders – may it be spread to each province and territory.Wishing you calm and resilience as you navigate your new reality.
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I’m so sorry to read about the tragic loss of your daughter Sidney, it’s so heartbreaking. And thank-you for creating the webpage Sidney Should Be Here and all the important medical information you have shared.
We will be following this story very closely, keeping close watch to governmental changes, the responsibilities at all levels, of all institutions. Thank-you for informing the public, for your generosity in sharing the tragic circumstances of your daughter’s passing.
Our deepest condolences to you and your family.
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I am so very sorry for your loss, Caroline. I can’t imagine your grief and anger. Meite and I have talked so much about this tragedy. I will help if I can.
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Tragedy and a sad loss ! Good call to action but let’s add parents teaching their youth / young adults , to look after themselves , give them opioid reversal kits when they leave and head to university or just any parties in general … we can not blame others for choices made by others. We need to educate personal responsibility – if you want to use drugs there is a risk , have your kits , do not use alone , have at least one sober friend available – use drug wise !
CPR C and first aid should be embedded in gym requirements of high school graduation ! An objective review of process is always a good plan to ensure any mistakes are corrected and a standard safety plan for universities around a potential opioid overdose is in place. -
I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. Reading about Sidney’s preventable death was both heart-breaking and extremely frustrating.
I am a teacher trained in Occupational First Aid. I strongly agree that first aid and CPR training should be included in the BC Secondary School curriculum. It would be beneficial for all students and has the potential to save lives.
I am very disappointed and frustrated to learn that UVic does not plan to switch to nasal Naloxone or improve access to kits on campus.
I have emailed a copy of your letter outlining the 7 goals my local MLA. I will continue to follow you on Instagram and Facebook to receive updates on the progress of achieving these crucial goals.
Thank you for sharing this and putting together this informative website.
Wishing you and your family all the vert best at this extremely difficult time.
~J
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Thank you for putting such an informative site together.
We fear for our children.
Blessings to you. May her memory be for a blessing
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Hi Caroline,
Wow this hit me really hard. I’m so sorry for your loss I can’t even imagine what you and your partner and family are going through.
I come from a family of ER docs and nurses and the level of sheer incompetence of basically all involved in Sidney’s case makes me absolutely furious. The 911 dispatcher needs to lose their job and so do the campus security. How they sleep at night after that is anyone’s guess. Absolute morons.
I emailed a copy of your letter to Hon. David Eby as well as my MLA. I really hope something can be done to tackle the out of control drug problem here in BC it’s absolutely unspeakably terrible and our systems are broken.
My heart just breaks and aches for you.
Brian
Mount Pleasant
XO -
My heart is broken for you at what was a preventable loss of your daughter….our children must have more protection when we send them off to schools, basically entrusting them in their care….they have failed in their responsibilities and so has the government….and Sidney was the one who had to pay the price….
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Heart-wrenching and incredibly frustrating to know her life was so close to being saved. How can the process be so flawed? This is just devastating. Enough is enough. Thank you for sharing ❤️.
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So sad, and the events on how it unfolded are so tragic. Yes, Sidney Should Be Here.
Thank you Caroline for your love and dedication that you have poured into this website. You will make a change, I’m sure. -
Thank you for your advocacy in the midst of your grief. As the parent of a high school student looking ahead to post secondary I learned so much from reading Sidney’s story. I am shocked that campus security is supposed to be called before 911 and that overdose wasn’t right away suspected. I hope the changes at UVIC will be widely adopted on other campuses.
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I am devastated by what happened to your daughter. I am angry and sickened that at this stage of the toxic drug crisis this error was made by security and by 911. Tragic and unacceptable. Thank you for pushing for what should be an automatic response. I’m so sorry for your loss- as a mother of 2 teens and as a fellow ER doctor your experience hits very close to home.
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My friend told me about this and I am so upset about what happened. We all need to be educated about this issue, the process of calling 911 at UVic dorms is archaic. Other Universities and Colleges call 911 immediately and Security at the same time. They also have Narcan/Naloxone available. I personally know a longtime friend of Sidney’s and she is a wonderful young lady, and is missing her friend. Our government needs to take action NOW.
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I didn’t know Sidney, but I am a fellow first year student in residence at UVic, and wish we had crossed paths in out time there as she sounds like a wonderful person. As someone who lost someone to a different failure of the BC government and healthcare system, mental health, just over a year ago, I am truly saddened by this story, as it never should have played out this way. So many systems in place to prevent drug related deaths fail too often, and tragically in the case of Sidney, they all failed at once. I hope this never happens again, but sadly I suspect it will. We, youth in BC, deserve better from UVic, the healthcare system, and the BC government.
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Thank you for sharing your heartbreaking story. Having teenagers of my own who have lost classmates to the opioid crisis, your story hit very close to home. I absolutely support your call for change. Something must change to keep our youth safe. I support your letter and suggestions
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I am deeply sorry for your loss. Sidney’s death was preventable and she should be here today. My deepest condolences to you and your family as you grieve something that no person should have to.
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So sorry for your loss, devastating to lose a beautiful daughter like that. Hope you will connect with her again one day ( maybe in heaven? ) And thank you for advocating for change at all governmental and social levels. But please inform parents to have a ‘drug’ chat with their kids, more important than the traditional ‘sex’ chat about unwanted pregs and STDs. Kids need to know recreational drugs are almost always spiked, cut, mixed, etc., with other substances, ESPECIALLY with fentanyl. We had a rental suite, and I had met the tenant’s mom. Wasn’t aware that mom & daughter were recreational drug users, and was shocked to hear the mom died from fentanyl OD just a few months after meeting her.
Narc kits can and do save lives, … but PARENTS NEED to tell their kids when they want to indulge, STAY SAFE , beer and blunts if you must, but dope dealers are not doctors, pharmacists, chemists, scientists. They will put everything and anything into their junk for sale, with no regards as to lethality or potency. When I see kids, I try to put the fear of God into them about street drugs. We all need to, cuz they just are too naive sometimes. Finally, no judgment towards you or your daughter, God knows when I was a youth, the many times I accidentally knocked on heaven’s door, and thank God, He didn’t answer. Regards, and all respect to you.
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I am so sorry to hear about such a tragic and preventable loss. As a uvic student that was living on campus the past year I am utterly shocked that I am just hearing about this loss of life now, as I can remember seeing the emergency vehicles on campus that night. Campus security is supposed to be there to keep us young students living away from home for the first time safe and they did everything but that in this situation. If the security officers were properly trained like they were claimed to be they would’ve recognized the situation right away, without being told about possible drug use. It’s absolutely heart breaking to hear that random students who did not witness the incident were the ones to take the most action. Uvics zero tolerance policy for drugs in the dorms probably scared the other girl who had taken the drugs out of admitted what had really happened. The fear of being kicked out of school, or housing may have cost a life that night. It is absolutely heartbreaking to hear about the loss of what seemed to be such a sweet soul and I hope she gets the justice she deserves.
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Such a beautiful life cut short way too soon. Who knows what great things Sidney would have gone on to
I am particularly emotional about this as I have 2 sons at the same stage of life
I am so sorry for your loss and I applaud your courage to speak out and try to prevent this tragedy from touching another family
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Such a heart-breaking tragedy. Two of my 3 children attended UVic. I have written David Eby and my MLA. I will forward to my friends. I hope others do the same—power in numbers. I am deeply sorry.
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I’m so terribly sorry for your loss and at the same time incredibly angry about the string of mistakes that led to your daughter’s death. There are so many things about this situation that are just so very wrong that I don’t even know where to begin. As a fellow Uvic parent with a son who also lived in the dorms there this year, I was shocked that, until today, my son had no idea that this tragedy had occurred. There should have been immediate sweeping changes and students should have been educated as to WHAT TO DO if a dorm mate overdoses. The silence around this situation makes me feel like the university is more worried about their own legal concerns than the students’ safety and well-being. I will email David Eby and wish you well on the changes for which you are advocating. They are so necessary. Take care. My thoughts are with you. This could be any of our children.
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I am so proud of you for stepping up to the government and fighting for what is necessary to stop this crisis and to prevent others from experiencing a mishandled emergency. I can see that you are a united family and although I didn’t know Sidney, I am very moved to see how she is being supported by her family even after she may not be here. I’m sure she’s thankful and proud of you as a family and parents for doing so. I will keep getting informed and learning on how to help the current opioid crisis situation. I’ve seen this city deteriorate in the last years and it seems as though the lack of action from the city has been done on purpose. But believe me, more and more people are coming to realize the implications of this problem and the arricle on the Sun as well as your website will help to create and spread much more awareness on the situation. And there’s no doubt, your efforts will save lives. I send your family strength and courage to keep fighting for justice and unprecedented change. To have that love for your daughter propel you to keep going forward and to continuously and positively impact others’ lives
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I just read about the loss of your beloved daughter and wanted to express my condolences. The medical system is irrevocably broken. My son suffers from anaphylaxis due to a severe peanut allergy and once we had to wait 40 minutes for an ambulance. Our call was deemed not a priority.
Your comments on Campus Security also reminded me of when I tried to sign my son up for SFU summer camp. When pressed on their anaphylaxis protocol, I was told camp staff cannot call 911 and must contact campus security. Having worked at SFU in another life, no one answers the phone. So we opted not to send my son to camp there. Time is of the essence.
I am infuriated UVic doesn’t take responsibility or accountability in light of hard facts. The lack of integrity is baffling and I am ashamed as an alum of that university!!!
I pray that with your determined efforts that things will change. I applaud the both of you for pushing for this and have sent an email to my MLA, a cabinet minister and Mr. Eby. Election year is here and now is the time to push for change! God speed.
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I am so sorry for your loss! We must demand better of our institutions, government and society!
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I’m so sorry to hear about Sidney’s loss of life. As someone with a young daughter I appreciate your courage and kindness in sharing your story and educating others. I had no idea Narcan/Naloxone could be administered without harming an unconscious person. Thank you for sharing this information and for the good work you are doing to advocate for change. May Sidney be remembered always.
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A tragic loss. Cailin (Sidney) was a beautiful young girl who was loved and admired by many, and will forever be remembered well by all those whose lives she was a part of. My daughter was fortunate to be on the competitive dance team and dance instructor team with Cailin. She was a role model for so many young dancers and a friend to everyone. I loved watching her dance over the years and chatting about it. I also admired her mom do a grand job of raising such an amazing human. Cailin was like her mom in so many ways- compassionate, caring, kind hearted, and courageous. She was always trying to be helpful to others, so it comes as no surprise that despite the worst tragedy imaginable, they are doing everything possible in trying to ensure this never happens to anyone ever again. Incredible strength and compassion.
Thank you Caroline for fighting for justice for Sidney and a change to ensure a better future for others. -
I’m reading this with extreme sadness. This is just so unfair for Sidney and her family. Why would university students take strong drugs on a Tuesday night? What did they think they were taking? I support the family’s attempt to investigate, and there is many of us that are following this tragedy. I’m just so sad for all of us, and I hope this family receives as much support as possible.
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This is beyond tragic and heartbreaking. So sad that in Canada the province of bc the lack of simple life skills missed others to help . 🙏🏿
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Thank-you for sharing your powerful and tragic story so publicly in the times colonist today. The detail was heart-wrenching but serves as a call to action for your daughter and so many others. I have several kids at uvic, and the senselessness and suddenness of your experience struck me deeply and should lead us all to seek active changes, big or small, in our communities.
Jim Sawchyn
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I’m so sorry for your loss and I truly appreciate you doing all of this to help keep others safe. I live in constant fear of this happening to my children, and grieve for you and the thousands of others who have lost children to this epidemic. I support your letter and suggestions.
Dr. Brian Christie, Ph.D.
Island Medical Program, UBC
Medical Sciences, UVic -
I am so deeply sorry for your loss. Sidney was an amazing young person. Thank you for advocating on behalf of others.
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I live in the UAE in the Middle East. I am going to talk to the university here about what they are doing to be prepared for an incident like this to avoid a repeat.
Thank you for the effort to help educate everyone.
Wishing you strength.
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I am very sorry to hear about this. The most infuriating – and INCRIMINATING – fact here is that there were TWO students passed out. How could they BOTH be having a seizure, or BOTH have diabetes, or BOTH be pregnant, or BOTH suffer an aneurysm, low blood sugar, or ANY kind of medical event SIMULTANEOUSLY BY COINCIDENCE?!?? Once ANYONE saw there were TWO YOUNG PEOPLE DOWN IN BRITISH COLUMBIA suddenly unconscious how could it be ANYTHING but Fentanyl in everybody’s mind at that point?? She died of widespread, abject stupidity. Amongst all/most present. DID 911 dispatch really ask if BOTH girls were PREGNANT?? that is insane. Our society is too dumb to describe in words. R.I.P. Sydney, it sounds like she was a smart young woman, the kind that our world desperately needs. Unbelievable that all concerned were not screaming for naloxone.
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