COURTENAY, B.C. – Brennan Day, MLA for Courtenay–Comox and Opposition Critic for Rural and Seniors Health, is calling on B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne to take immediate action after the preventable death of 11-year-old Brayden Robbins at Comox Valley Hospital – North Island in November 2024.
In a formal letter delivered to Minister Osborne today, Day recounts the harrowing story shared by Brayden’s parents, Nikki and Marty Robbins. Despite presenting with severe head and neck pain, a tilted head, and numbness in his face on November 12, Brayden was discharged without a CT scan. He returned to the emergency room six days later in visible neurological crisis. After six hours of delays—and no pediatric transfer due to a lack of transport staff—Brayden slipped into a coma. He died the next morning from a brain bleed and hydrocephalus.
“If our system failed Brayden when the person advocating for him was a mother, a nurse with 30 years of experience, a former patient care supervisor, and a current nursing instructor, then something is fundamentally broken,” said Day. “That change must begin with leadership—and that leadership starts with the Minister of Health.”
Nikki and Marty Robbins had previously written to Minister Osborne on June 23, outlining the circumstances that led to their son’s death and presenting a list of urgent, practical recommendations to prevent similar tragedies. They have not received a response.
Day, who met with the Robbins family in person, emphasized that the family’s courage and clinical knowledge offer a rare opportunity for systemic improvement in pediatric emergency care.
“Minister, this cannot be another tragedy quietly filed away,” Day writes in his letter. “The Robbins family has shown extraordinary courage in the face of unbearable loss. Their story must not only be heard—it must drive action.”
The Robbins Family’s Recommendations for Systemic Change Include:
- Mandatory pediatric emergency training, including PEWS and PECARN tools, for all ER and pediatric staff.
- Formal family-centred communication protocols to ensure families are heard and documented.
- A unified inter-provincial patient charting system.
Standardized use of the Provincial Transport Network (PTN) for complex pediatric cases.
- Immediate investment in pediatric transport staffing and response capabilities.
- Prioritization of pediatric-trained physicians and nurses at regional hospitals.
- Transparent audits and reviews of all unexpected pediatric deaths.
- Trauma-informed training for emergency healthcare staff.
- “Stop the Line” protocols empowering staff to intervene when safety concerns arise.
- A grief-informed family advocate role to support parents after child loss and ensure inclusion in safety reviews.
Day is calling on the Minister to respond directly to the Robbins family, meet with them in person, and commit to a province-wide review of pediatric emergency care and medical transport systems.
“We cannot undo the past,” Day concluded, “but we can choose to honour Brayden’s life by making sure no other child—and no other family—is left to endure this kind of preventable tragedy. Brayden deserved better. British Columbians deserve better. Let us make sure this never happens again.”
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Attachments:
Letter from MLA Brennan Day to Minister of Health Josie Osborne
Media Contact:
Ryan Painter, Director of Communications
ryan.painter@leg.bc,ca
Family:
Nikki Robbins (Mother)
778-861-9243
nikkirobbins@telus.net
