Thompson Rivers University vice-president died of overdose

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The family of a British Columbia university executive who died suddenly last month says his death was caused by an accidental overdose.

Relatives of Christopher Seguin say in a statement that the 39-year-old man was taken to hospital following an overdose in his hotel room in Victoria and died Sept. 22.

Seguin was vice-president of advancement at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops.

The institution initially reported he had been admitted to hospital with a critical illness.

The family statement says the cause of death doesn't diminish him as a loving husband and father, and as a cherished son, brother and friend.

Seguin, who was born in Pinawa, Man., leaves a wife and two young sons.

"Christopher’s passion and the boundless energy which he used to help improve the lives of others are the stories that deserve our focus," the statement said.

A celebration of Seguin's life will be held in Kamloops on Saturday.

Seguin was a graduate of Kamloops High School and played varsity football at Simon Fraser University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics. He focused his graduate work on international studies.

He held a number of positions at Simon Fraser, including cultural liaison in the school's international education department and advancement officer for athletics.

At the time his death was announced by Thompson Rivers University, school president Alan Shaver said Seguin returned to Kamloops in 2007 as the university's vice-president of advancement and helped the school set "fundraising records virtually every year of the last decade, generating millions of dollars for student awards, groundbreaking research and major buildings."