158 people died of toxic drug deaths in September, down 19 per cent from last year
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2025 (326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
VICTORIA – British Columbia’s coroner says 158 people died from illicit drug overdoses in September, down almost 20 per cent from the same month last year in a trend that has seen the death rate fall to its lowest level since 2019.
The BC Coroners Service says in a statement that fentanyl or its analogs were found in the system of 84 per cent of those who were tested.
The service’s online dashboard shows the death rate from unregulated drugs in B.C. has dropped sharply since 2023, when 2,589 people died.
This year’s rate is down 31 per cent compared with two years ago, while September’s deaths are down 19 per cent from last year.
It’s part of a decline that has also been occurring across much of North America.
The cities experiencing the highest number of toxic drug deaths this year have been Vancouver at 314 and Surrey with 137, while 93 people died in Greater Victoria.
The service says between January and September the number of youth, aged 18 or younger, who died increased to 20 deaths, compared with 17 during the same period last year.
Almost half of the deaths this year occurred in a private home, while 21 per cent of the deaths occurred outdoors.
Males accounted for the largest number of deaths this year at 78 per cent.
The death rate this year is 32.3 per 100,000 population, compared with 46.8 in 2023. The last year the rate was this low was 2019, when the rate fell to 19.4 per 100,000.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025.