More Than 2,000 British Columbians Lost To Toxic, Unregulated Drugs For Third Consecutive Year

At least 2,039 lives have been lost to unregulated drugs in the first 10 months of 2023, according to preliminary data released by the BC Coroners Service.

The toxic drug crisis continues to devastate communities of all sizes throughout the province.

October was the 37th consecutive month in which at least 150 deaths are suspected to have been caused by the toxic-drug supply. The 189 lives lost in October equate to approximately 6.1 lives lost per day.

While the largest number of deaths reported in 2023 has been in urban centres, such as Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria, the health authority with the highest rate of death in 2023 is Northern Health, with 61 deaths per 100,000 residents.

The provincewide death rate for the year is 45 per 100,000 residents, the highest such number ever recorded.

The lives of at least 13,317 British Columbians have been lost to unregulated drugs since the public-health emergency was first declared in April 2016.

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.