MEMORANDUN, June 19, 1973,

Re: Saction 35 - CORONERS ACT

At the 1973 Spring Session of the Legislature,
the Coroners Act was amended by adding thereto Section
35, a copy of which 2s attached hereto for your
convenience, providing for the creation of Coroner's
Districts and apportioning amongst the municipalities
within a created district the costs of operating the
facilities of the Court which have been provided by
one of the municipalities within the District.

At the present time, the only municipalities
in the Province operating Coroner's Courts with a
fuli-time Coroner and appropriate supporting staff
whose salaries are paid by the municipality are the
Cities of Vancouver and New Westminster.

Officials of the City of New Westminster have
advised the Attorney-General that due to the large
number of Coroner's cases being handled in the City
facilities involving residents of adjacent municipalities
the City is being put to considerable additional expense
which cannot be fully recovered from the municipalities
involved. Consequently, they have asked the Minister
to recommend to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, under
authority of Section 35, the creation of a Coroner's
District encompassing the City of Hew Westminster as the
municipality providing the facilities and each of the
undermentioned municipalities. It is also requested
that the portion of all costs of operating the Coroner's
Court payable by those municipalities shall be on the
basis of the percentages set out opposite their
respective names:-

District of Surrey 17%
District of Burnaby 42%
District of Coquitian 128
City of Port Coquitlan 3%
City. of Port Moody 35
Bistrict of Delta 24

Swenty percent of the ersaa are the responsib-
ility of the City of New Westninster while 326 come
from unorganized territory and other miscellaneous
municipalities who will continye to receive bills
collectable from New Westmineer for costs that may Je

lev'ed under the provisions 0: the Coroner's Act.

Page 2.

It is anticipated that the costs of the
Coroner's Court will include an appropriate salary
for the Coroner commensurate with the duties and
responsibilities of a quasi judicial officer.

If the requested order is made, it will
probably designate Coroner Doug Jack of New Westninster
as a Coroner for the Coroner's District and fix his
salary and will also designate the portion of the
overall costs of inquests and inquiries in the
District payable by each municipality.

It is not anticipated that creation of such
a Coroner's District will prevent other Coroners
from acting in any of the municipalities included within
the District other than those in which death occurred in
the City of New Westminster.