B.C. inquest into woman’s starvation death set to begin [Video]

The sister of a British Columbia woman with Down syndrome who starved to death in a Port Coquitlam home in 2018 says she believes more people will die if systemic changes aren’t made to how people with developmental disabilities are treated.

A coroner’s inquest into the death of 54-year-old Florence Girard begins Monday in Burnaby, B.C., where a jury will hear the circumstances around how she died weighing only 55 pounds.

Her sister, Sharon Bursey, described Girard as funny and sarcastic, and someone who loved spending time with her family.

Bursey said that since her older sister’s death, people have reached out to share similar stories of abuse against family members.

“It’s terrible, and I know it’s going to happen again, and we need to know why. How is it happening? Like, this is Canada,” she said in an interview Friday.

Girard died while living in the home of Astrid …