The drug overdose crisis in British Columbia continues to take a terrible toll. According to statistics just released by the BC Coroners Service, November saw the highest number of deaths so far this year.
In November, 128 people died from drug overdoses, an average of more than four people per day. The previous recorded for a single month was 82 in January.
The number of deaths leapt to 755 by the end of November, a more than 70 percent jump during the same time period last year.
Fentanyl is responsible for 60 percent of the fatalities. 80 percent of those who died were male.
The highest number of deaths were in Victoria, Vancouver, and Surrey – Victoria had the third highest.
Lisa Lapointe, the province’s chief coroner said December so far is looking like a “bad month.”
“Despite the incredible efforts of all of those working on this crisis, the news today is not good,” she told a news conference in Victoria.
Two temporary supervised drug consumption sites are set to open in Victoria this week.
A site will open at Our Place Society at 919 Pandora Avenue, and a private site will set up at 844 Johnson Street where some people from tent city were relocated.
A third injection site is scheduled to open in Rock Bay at some point.
Related: Temporary drug overdose prevention sites set to open in Victoria next week
