BC Coroners Service launches inquiry into Abbotsford inmate death
Published 3:15 pm Friday, September 11, 2026
Nearly five years after the death of an inmate at Pacific Institution, the provincial government is now launching an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this incident.
Kendal Lee Campeau, 31, was three years into his seven-year sentence when he died from a methadone overdose on Nov. 14, 2021.
Although originally from Saskatchewan, Campeau had been transferred to the Abbotsford institution after being assaulted in a different prison in 2019.
It was while in custody at the Pacific Institution that Campeau was found unresponsive in his cell on Nov. 14, 2021 and sent to the local hospital.
He was later brought back to the prison, where he died that same day.
According to a press release from Prisoners’ Legal Services, the cause of death was a methadone overdose.
With the five-year anniversary of his death just around the corner, the BC Coroners Service recently announced it’s launching an official inquest into the incident.
This inquest will begin on Sept. 28 at the Burnaby Coroners’ Court, where details on Campeau’s death will be unveiled to the public.
The government announcement said such an inquest is often launched when either the death is a result of a dangerous practice or could lead to similar deaths without further intervention.
Campeau was a member of the Yellow Quill First Nation and was serving time for offences related to assault, escape from lawful custody, possession of banned substances for the purpose of trafficking, and robbery.
Doing an inquiry into his death so far removed from the incident is not unusual, with the BC Coroners Service announcing two other inquiries in the past month for deaths that also happened in 2021 or even longer ago.