BILL 14

An Act to Amend the Coroners Act

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, enacts as follows:

1 Section 4 of the Coroners Act, chapter C-23 of the Revised Statutes, 1973, is repealed and the following is substituted:

Public duty to notify coroner

4( 1) Unless he or she knows that a coroner has already been notified of the facts and circumstances relating to a death, a person shall immediately notify a coroner of the facts and circumstances if the person has reason to believe that the deceased person died

(a)  as a result of

( i) violence,

( ii) misadventure,

( iii) negligence,

( iv) misconduct, or

( v) malpractice,

(b)  during or following pregnancy in circumstances that might reasonably be attributable to the pregnancy,

(c)  suddenly and unexpectedly,

(d)  from disease or sickness for which there was no treatment given by a medical practitioner, or

(e)  from any cause other than disease, natural causes or medically assisted death.

4( 2) Despite paragraph (1)(e), a person shall immediately notify a coroner of the facts and circumstances relating to a death if the person has reason to believe that the deceased person died from disease, natural causes or medically assisted death under circumstances that may require an investigation.