B.C. drug deaths hit lowest level since before pandemic, down 55% since 2023 peak
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 »
VICTORIA – British Columbia has recorded its lowest monthly number of suspected toxic drug deaths since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, falling by more than half since their peak.
The Ministry of Public Safety’s preliminary data shows that 109 people died in B.C. in May due to suspected unregulated drug toxicity, which is about 3.5 deaths each day.
That is the lowest level seen since February 2020, when 79 deaths were reported, and is down by about 55 per cent compared to the 242 deaths recorded in December 2023.
B.C. declared a public health emergency over the overdose crisis a decade ago, with the number of deaths peaking at more than 2,500 in 2023.
The number has dropped steadily since then, with the ministry saying the death rate among people between the ages of 19 and 59 has fallen significantly since 2021.
Most of the deaths this year, 76 per cent, were males, while those between the ages of 30 and 59 account for more than two-thirds of the deaths.
Fluorofentanyl, a more potent form of the opioid fentanyl, was detected in 67 per cent of the deaths, followed by cocaine and fentanyl at 55 per cent.
The ministry statement says smoking is the most common form of consumption at 71 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2026.