Six people in Prince George died of illicit drug overdoses and poisonings in the month of October, according to data released by the B.C. Coroners Service on Thursday.
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, a total of 41 people in the city have died of drug overdoses and poisonings. A record 58 people died in Prince George in 2020.
By comparison, the city saw between six and 24 such deaths per year between 2011 and 2017, the BC Coroners Service reported.
Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 this year, there were a total of 113 drug overdose and poisoning deaths throughout the Northern Health region – up by 13 from the end of September. Of those deaths, 56 were in the Northern Interior health services delivery area (where Prince George is located), 34 were in the Northwest area and 23 were in the Northeast.
The Northern Health region saw a record 132 deaths in 2020.
October was B.C.’s deadliest month in the opioid crisis, with a record 201 deaths reported.
“No words can replace a loved one lost. I feel British Columbia's grief and frustration,” B.C. Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson said in a statement. “Almost every person in the province knows someone whose life has been touched by the poisoned drug crisis. I am so sorry for each loss and send strength to everyone who is mourning someone they love.”
A total of 1,782 British Columbians died of drug overdoses between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 this year, already exceeding the record 1,765 deaths recorded in 2020.
For the first 10 months of 2021, B.C. saw 41.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. In the Northern Health region, the overdose rate for the first 10 months of 2021 was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 people – the third-highest death rate in B.C., after Vancouver Coastal Health (47.6 deaths per 100,000) and Interior Health (45 deaths per 100,000).
"It has been a very difficult year for so many people in British Columbia. We've endured floods, wildfires, heat waves and the confirmation of unmarked graves at former Indian Residential School sites,” Malcolmson said. “And on top of the direct challenges of COVID-19, the drug supply has become increasingly toxic. In 2012, illicit fentanyl was present in (five per cent) of the illicit drug toxicity deaths. This year, it has been detected in 85 (per cent) of drug toxicity deaths - this increase is staggering.”
In 2021, 71 per cent of British Columbians who have died of drug overdoses were between the ages of 30 and 59, and 79 per cent were male.
Between 2018 and 2021, 63 per cent of drug overdose deaths in the Northern Health region took place in private homes, with 22.3 per cent taking place in other inside locations. Only 14 per cent of drug overdose deaths occurred outside.
"This time can be especially difficult for those suffering from addiction, and I'm urging everyone to stay safe, and to look out for one another. Highly unpredictable, poisoned drugs are circulating, so it is vitally important to use safer drug practices, whether you use frequently or occasionally,” Malcolmson said. “Please do not use alone. Download the Lifeguard app, buddy up, get your drugs checked, start with a small amount and go slowly. Please also keep naloxone close. Find an overdose prevention or safe consumption site near you. They save lives.”
