B.C.’s Health Minister says “abhorrent” allegations of racism against Indigenous people in the province’s healthcare system are being investigated.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says the allegation is that there has been a game in emergency rooms to guess the blood alcohol content of patients.

“In particular, Indigenous people. And perhaps others,” Dix says.

“If true, it is intolerable, unacceptable, and racist. And its effect on patient care is intolerable, unacceptable and racist.”

Dix says it’s unclear how widespread the allegation is, and he did not say which hospital – or hospitals – were involved. He says facts still need to be confirmed through the investigation.

He says Mary-Ellen Turpel Lafond has been hired to do an independent investigation the allegations. She is a lawyer and is Indigenous, and was B.C.’s first Representative for Children and Youth, where she particularly worked with vulnerable Indigenous children.

Dix says details of Turpel Lafond’s findings will be made public, and says there is no timeline for how long the investigation will take.