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July 19, 2023 - 9:12 AM
The BC Coroners Service says 48 people have died in Kelowna due to the unregulated drug supply, while 89 of the city's residents died in the entirety of 2022.
This year is on the way to break another record for deaths attributed to toxic drugs in BC, according to a BC Coroners Service media release issued today, July 19.
In the first six months of this year across the province, 1,228 people died, a rate of 45.5 per 100,000 people. In 2022, 2,383 people died at a rate of 44.8 per 100,000.
"Illicit fentanyl continues to drive the crisis, which is causing deaths in large and small municipalities, towns and cities across the province. This health emergency is not confined to one neighbourhood or one demographic. Anyone accessing an illicit substance is at risk of serious harm or death," chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said in the release.
READ MORE: BC Coroners Service blames illicit drug supply for 184 deaths in June
Five fewer people have died in Kamloops so far this year with 43 by the end of June. There have been 21 deaths in Vernon and 10 in Penticton.
It's been more than six years since the province declared the opioid and toxic drug crisis a public health emergency, with the death toll breaking new records nearly every year after. The rate did fall in 2019, but quickly jumped again in 2020.
"My heart goes out to everyone who is grieving. These are irreplaceable losses," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside said the release. "Through these challenging times, our province is deeply thankful to those working on the frontlines - paramedics, police officers, peers and other first responders - who are saving lives every single day under the most challenging circumstances Their work is heroic and has prevented countless more deaths."
While deaths continue to climb, one trend that slightly shifted downward is deaths in private homes.
Between 50 and 60 per cent of people who died from overdoses and toxic drugs have been in private homes, but the number of people dying in "other residences" or outside climbed in the first six months of 2023.
Across BC, 47% of deaths were in private homes, while deaths in hotels, shelters or supportive housing climbed by nearly 6%, accounting for a third of overdose deaths. Deaths outside rose by 3% to nearly a fifth, according to coroners service statistics.
"Our government is working urgently to build an integrated and seamless system of mental-health and addictions care that works for all British Columbians, including new treatment and recovery options, and early intervention and prevention measures," Whiteside said. "We know there is more to do, and we won't stop working until we end this crisis."
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