Number of B.C. drug deaths still high despite small drop: coroner

A new report by B.C. Coroners Service show the number of deaths due to toxic, illicit drugs throughout the province remains significantly high, with at least 177 people losing their lives to the crisis in February.

In a release, the service said the figure was a 12 per cent decrease from the number reported in January and an 11 per cent decrease from February 2023. 

The death rate for the first two months of 2024 was 40.1 per 100,000 residents, which is below the record number reported in 2023, the service said — but it cautioned that the figure was still nearly twice the rate recorded in 2016.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Jennifer Whiteside said the numbers reflect the unrelenting challenges facing B.C. 

"As we approach the eighth anniversary of this public-health emergency, we are reminded that our commitment to each person's right to life and safety remains as firm as ever," Whiteside said in a statement.

She also reflected on the efforts and dedication of frontline workers who have saved countless lives in the past eight years.

"They continue to show up every day with compassion and positivity in their heart, ready to help others. Their resilience and empathy are vital in our collective efforts to heal and safeguard our communities," she said.

Nearly every unregulated drug death is the result of mixed drug toxicity, the coroner's office said.

Fentanyl and/or one of its derivatives was found in about eight out of every 10 test results in 2024, often in combination with cocaine, methamphetamine and/or other substances, it added.

Other findings from the coroner's latest data include:

• The municipalities experiencing the highest number of unregulated drug deaths in 2024 are Vancouver, Surrey and Nanaimo.
• The highest death rates in 2024 have been recorded in the northern Interior, north and central Vancouver Island, Vancouver and Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap.
• 86 per cent of unregulated drug deaths occurred inside — 48 per cent in private residences and 38 per cent in other indoor settings including social and supportive housing, SROs, shelters and hotels — and 13 per cent occurred outside in locations including sidewalks, streets, parks and vehicles.

At least 14,208 lives in B.C. have now been lost to unregulated drugs since a public-health emergency was first declared in April 2016, the coroner says.