BC Drug Deaths Hit Record Level Again, Averaging 7 Lives Lost Per Day: Coroner

Paramedics debrief after responding to a drug overdose in Vancouver on June 23, 2021. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

The British Columbia Coroners Service says the province witnessed a record-breaking 2,511 lives lost to drug-related fatalities in 2023.

“This crisis, driven primarily by unregulated fentanyl, has cost our province dearly in the loss of much-loved and valued members of our communities,” said B.C. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe in a Jan. 24 release.