A woman is dead after becoming trapped in a charity donation bin in the downtown core.
Medicine Hat Police Service responded to a call about 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, along with EMS personnel, about a woman being stuck in a charity clothing donation box downtown.
Insp. Joe West says the 39-year-old woman was stuck or trapped. When they arrived on scene she was already deceased.
“At that time fire personnel assisted in extracting her from the bin and our investigation revealed, although it is a very tragic death, it is an accidental death,” said West.
The identity of the woman is known but will not be disclosed by police, said West.
The Salvation Army owns the charity bin which Maj. Murray Jaster says that has been decommissioned.
“First of all our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the deceased,” said Jaster.
The clothing donation bin is the type equipped with a mechanism to prevent items being retrieved once they have been placed in the bin.
West says rather than seeking shelter or warmth in the bin it is more typical a person wants to access the clothing inside the bin. Those people tend to be from a vulnerable sector of the community.
About four months ago a 35-year-old woman was found dead in a charity donation bin in Toronto. That brought the number of such incidences to about eight since 2015.
As a result of these reports The Salvation Army had already “taken measures to educate staff, volunteers and clients with increased signage and warning labels directly on the bins,” said Jaster, noting donations are at the heart of the organization’s mission.
“While these bins enable communities to contribute to charitable organizations across Canada it is crucial that they are used safely and properly,” said Jaster. “We at the Salvation Army are committed to doing our part in educating the public about the safe use of these bins to avoid tragic situations like this in the future.”
Charities in Canada are looking at ways to retrofit their bins and make them safer.
Diabetes Canada has made changes to its approximately 4,000 bins across the country. Another organization, Inclusion B.C., said it would remove its bins in Vancouver after a man died in one in December 2018.
Jaster says the Salvation Army will consider further modification to its bins.
“There have been several design changes through the years,” said Jaster. “They used to be wooden bins. Nobody ever broke into them. Then they became metal bins. Design changes are always being looked at. Is there a better way?”
West says there are all kinds of hazards around in the city with a variety of receptacles for numerous purposes.
“Of course with regard to community safety we want people to be aware these (bins) are a danger and they are not designed for retrieving items or for humans to crawl into,” said West. “We urge people, who need those items, we have a lot of supports in the community willing to help out and hopefully we won’t see anyone go to these lengths to retrieve items or seek shelter.”
The provincial coroners office will continue to investigate to determine the exact cause of death, says the MHPS.
