Employees

Coroner

Employee Name:

Mike Green

Title:

Coroner

Ministry:

Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

Background:

Education: Bachelor of Arts in English (Southern Illinois University); Master of Arts in English (Western Illinois University)
Member of the BC Public Service Since: 1998

My Role

As a Coroner, I, along with the two dozen Community Coroners in the Northern Region that I assist, am responsible for the investigation of all unnatural, sudden and unexpected, unexplained or unattended deaths that occur in the Northern Region. In addition to determining the facts around those deaths (the identity of the deceased, how, when, where and by what means they died), we make recommendations to improve public safety and prevent death in similar circumstances.

Career Path:

I worked as a high school English teacher and was doing wildlife contracting. At a time there was a need for a community coroner, I was asked by a friend if I was interested because I had the qualities they were looking for. I began as a community coroner at the same time I was general manager for a provincial trapping association and substitute teaching at a youth containment prison. Over time, I curtailed the other work I was doing and just concentrated on coroner's work, which eventually lead to a fulltime position.

What I Like Best:

There are many things I enjoy about my job - chief among those would be the fact that it is very worthwhile and important work. The family and friends of the deceased appreciate that you have investigated and learned and taken the time and attention. It provides closure for the people that are grieving, it's very satisfying.

Ideas At Work:

Beyond the record that the investigation into each death creates, I believe one of the greatest rewards of the Coroner's work is the service it provides: service to the deceased and to families, to the community at large, and to the medical and legal communities.

Advice:

Community Coroners and Coroners come from an incredibly diverse collection of backgrounds; one of their common features is education and experience in legal, medical or investigative fields. Working as a Community Coroner is a superb avenue to learn the work and become proficient. If there is a desire to get into this work in a full-time capacity, being a community coroner is a good place to start. Community coroners work on-call, on an as and when needed basis. The majority of community coroners are in the northern region, the interior and on Vancouver Island.