The numbers are in and they’re record-breaking.
An estimated 2,224 BC families lost a loved one last year due to toxic illicit drugs, with 126 of those being in Victoria alone.
That’s according to preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service, as the last two months of 2021 saw the largest number of suspected illicit drug deaths ever recorded in the province.
It says that 210 and 215 deaths were recorded in November and December, respectively, catapulting the average daily death toll to 6.1.
After digesting the data, chief coroner Lisa Lapointe finds BC needs decision-makers at all levels to respond to this public health emergency “with the level of urgency it demands.”
“The reality is this: every day we wait to act, six more people will die,” Lapointe said. “Time has run out for research and discussion. It is time to take action.”
While every health authority in BC endured a record loss of lives last year, the Coroners Service says the cities with the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths were Victoria, Vancouver and Surrey.
It says that 71 percent of those who died due to suspected drug toxicity were between the ages of 30 and 59, and nearly 80 percent were male, with Fentanyl found in 83 percent of samples tested.
Since the public health emergency into substance-related harms was first declared in April 2016, officials tally more than 8,800 British Columbians have died due to toxic drugs.
“This public health emergency has impacted families and communities across the province and shows no sign of abating,” Lapointe added.
“It is long past time to end the chaos and devastation in our communities resulting from the flourishing illicit drug market, and to ensure, on an urgent basis, access across the province to a safe, reliable, regulated drug supply.”
