Jennifer Chan, front left, the sister of late Vancouver Police Const. Nicole Chan, who died by suicide in 2019, leaves a coroner's inquest, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
BURNABY, B.C. – A Vancouver Police Department human resources officer told a coroner’s inquest that Const. Nicole Chan had a history of mental health issues and potential suicide attempts before inappropriate relationships she had with two senior officers.
Sgt. Cindy Vance, who put together a timeline of Chan’s HR complaints, says that during her hiring process, Chan disclosed that she had consumed 30 to 40 Tylenol in 2006, when she was 17 years old.
Vance also testified about a 2012 car crash in Port Moody, B.C., that “triggered a concern that Ms. Chan might be suicidal,” resulting in her being arrested and brought to a hospital under the Mental Health Act.
She was also asked about another incident where Chan was identified as a potential missing person, and was later found at a Washington motel.
Vance says Chan’s HR file indicates she went on sick leave two days after being located.
A civil lawsuit filed on behalf of Chan’s family last year claims she died by suicide in January 2019 during a severe mental health crisis after being “extorted” by a fellow officer to continue a sexual relationship.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2023.
