The charity that owns the clothing donation bin in which a Vancouver man became trapped and died last weekend is voluntarily recalling all of its donation bins in the province.
Inclusion BC, which provides support for people with intellectual disabilities, released a statement on Thursday saying the non-profit immediately began pulling the bins.
“Inclusion BC was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a man in one of our clothing donation bins in West Vancouver. Our deepest condolences go out to all who have been touched by this tragic event,” the statement read. “At an emergency meeting on Jan. 3, 2019, Inclusion BC and our member agencies decided to remove 146 bins currently placed in Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast, Interior B.C. and Central and North Vancouver Island. Removal has already started and should be completed by early next week. All bins will be moved to secure storage until safety modifications can be made to ensure public safety.”
District of West Vancouver spokeswoman Donna Powers said the municipality was heartened by the move.
“We think that is a wonderful step on their part and we’re hoping the others follow suit,” Powers said.
The municipality has put a temporary ban on donation bins, at least until they can be retrofitted to be safer, replaced or moved to indoor locations.
“We have locked some bins on private property. We’ve locked all the bins that we could locate and we have notified all those charities that own those bins of the steps that we’ve taken, and they’ve all been really understanding of the fact that this is necessary and that we have to have a conversation with them moving forward,” she said.
The BC Coroners Service continues to investigate the death of the man who was discovered Dec. 30 entrapped in the donation bin at the entrance to Ambleside Park.
