Victoria man found dead in Central Saanich waste collection truck

The death of a man whose body was found at a Central Saanich waste collection facility is not considered suspicious, according to police.

Sgt. Paul Brailey of Central Saanich Police said police were called to the Waste Connections of Canada facility on Keating Cross Road at around 8:30 a.m. The man’s body was discovered after a recycling truck was emptied at the site.

“He was declared dead at the scene,” Brailey said.

The BC Coroners Service say they were notified on Nov. 12 that a man had been found dead at a waste collection facility on Keating Cross Road. The coroner’s service then worked with Victoria police and Central Saanich Police to determine the man was from Victoria.

According to the BC Coroners Service, the man was in his 20s and the coroner is investigating cause of death.

Brailey said an autopsy was completed on Nov. 18, which indicated there were no suspicious circumstances in the death.

He also said investigation indicates that the man ended up in the recycling truck while a dumpster was being emptied in downtown Victoria sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. The truck had stopped at six locations.

The man’s identity has not been released by police. Brailey said the man was believed to have been living on the streets and the family has asked for privacy.

Waste Connections Vancouver Island District Manager Michael Tripp released the following statement on behalf of the company.

“First and foremost, this is a tragedy for the man who lost his life as well as for the family and friends who loved him. This unfortunate accident also had a major impact with our employees. We provided counselling services to all employees involved and our driver is currently taking time off to recover but will be returning to work shortly. Our site was honored to receive a cleansing by the First Nations, which was a cathartic experience for our people. Our hearts go out to all who were impacted by this tragedy,” the statement says.

Last year in August, Lloyd Soluk, known as Jo, died after he was crushed when the dumpster he was sleeping in at a downtown parking lot was emptied into a recycling truck. The BC Coroners Service said that incident is still under investigation.

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