155 people died of overdose in B.C. in February

Photo: Dan Toulgoet

On average about 5.5 people in B.C. died of drug overdose every day in February.

The B.C. Coroners Service announced Wednesday that 155 people lost their lives to overdose last month, the eleventh-straight month the province has recorded more than 100 lives lost.

In Kelowna, eight people were killed by overdose in the first two months of the year. In Kamloops and Vernon, five people died in each community. Data was not available for Penticton, as the Coroner only provides local death counts for the 15 hardest-hit municipalities in the province.

While B.C. declared a public health emergency over the overdose crisis back in 2016, deaths have surged in the past year with the onset of the pandemic.

Border closures and reduced international travel has strangled the flow of drugs across borders, forcing local production of narcotics and an even more poisoned drug supply.

The Coroner says post-mortem toxicology results suggest that there has been a greater number of cases with extreme fentanyl concentrations after Apr 2020 compared with previous months. Carfentanil, a more lethal analogue of fentanyl, was detected in 18 of the 155 deaths (12 per cent), an increase from the January total of 14, the largest monthly figure recorded since April 2019.

In 2021, 88 per cent of illicit drug toxicity deaths occurred inside (58% in private residences and 30% in other residences including social and supportive housing, SROs, shelters, and hotels and other indoor locations) and 11% occurred outside in vehicles, sidewalks, streets and parks.

"The number of deaths due to toxic illicit drugs in February highlights the ongoing critical risk to public health and safety from the illicit drug market," said Lisa Lapointe, B.C.'s chief coroner.

"I extend my sincere sympathy to everyone who has lost a beloved family member or friend to substance use. The continued tragic and unprecedented rate of death in B.C. highlights the urgent need for a multi-faceted, evidence-based and accessible system of care for those experiencing problematic substance use."

The total number of deaths is the largest ever recorded in the month of February and an increase of 107% over the total number of deaths recorded in February 2020.

"This data emphasizes the alarming increase in the toxicity of the illicit drug supply throughout B.C.," Lapointe said. "Across the province, the risk of serious harm or death is very real for anyone using a substance purchased from the illicit market. Decisive action is urgently needed to ensure an accessible, regulated safe supply and to provide people with the supervised consumption, treatment and recovery services they need."