Though the risk of death posed by the unregulated drug supply remains extremely high, the number of deaths in British Columbia due to drug toxicity decreased from near-record levels in April to 176 lives lost in the month of May.
“BC Coroners Service findings confirm that this public-health emergency continues to be driven by illicit fentanyl,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner. “Expedited testing in 2023 is positive for fentanyl in almost nine out of every 10 results, nearly double the positivity rate of methamphetamine and cocaine, the next most commonly identified substances. As long as people are reliant on the profit-driven unregulated market to access the substances they need, their lives are at risk.”
The updated reporting shows that 1,018 British Columbians were lost to unregulated drugs between January and May, a 2.9% increase over the number of deaths reported to the Coroners Service during the same time frame in 2022. The 176 total deaths in May represent a 19% decrease compared to the number of deaths reported in April (218), and equates to about 5.7 lives lost each day.
Unregulated drug toxicity is now the leading cause of death in British Columbia for people aged 10 to 59, accounting for more deaths than homicides, suicides, accidents and natural disease combined. The lives of at least 12,264 British Columbians have been lost to unregulated drugs in the seven years since the public health emergency was first declared in April 2016.
In response to increased interest in the impacts of the ongoing public-health emergency on young people in B.C., the Coroners Service has also released a report focused on unregulated drug toxicity deaths among youth. It found that of the 10,453 toxic drug deaths reported to coroners between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2022, 142 (1.4%) involved youth under 19 years of age.
Other findings of note from the youth drug toxicity death report include:
Males accounted for 54% of deaths, and 62% of the deaths occurred among individuals between 17 and 18 years of age.
More than 70% of the deaths occurred within private residences.
More than half of the deaths occurred among youth using alone.
73% of decedents were in receipt of current or previous services offered through the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
67% of decedents had a mental-health diagnosis or anecdotal evidence of a mental-health disorder.
Fentanyl or its analogues were detected in 78% of all deaths, either alone or in combination with other substances.
Hydromorphone was detected in 12 (8%) deaths.
In eight of those deaths, hydromorphone was found in low concentrations.
In all 12 deaths, at least one other substance was found that contributed to the death.
Unregulated drug toxicity was the leading unnatural cause of death among youth during this period.
“We know that young people are not immune from the extreme dangers of the unregulated drug supply,” Lapointe said. “In responding to this health crisis, it is critically important that we heed the recommendations of experts and ensure a robust system of care that includes increased access to timely, evidence-based treatment and recovery services, and to a safer substance supply as an alternative to the toxic black market. A public-health crisis of this magnitude demands a comprehensive response that meets people where they are and provides the services they need to survive.”

The Peace River Regional District says residents of 14 properties in rural areas north of Fort St. John may return home after being ordered to leave due to a record-breaking wildfire, though the situation remains “volatile.’’

It follows the lifting of another evacuation order for properties east of Highway 97, but the district says people should be prepared to leave again on short notice.

The Donnie Creek blaze has grown in recent days to become the largest wildfire recorded in British Columbia history, spanning more than 5,500 square kilometres.

An update from the BC Wildfire Service says the wildfire accounts for about 62 per cent of the total area burned in the province so far this season.

Wildfires have charred nearly 8,700 square kilometres since April 1, eclipsing the 20-year average of about 162 square kilometres for the same time of year.

A fire that forced the closure of a key highway connecting communities on the west coast of Vancouver Island has meanwhile been declared under control, and the province says it’s on track to reopen to single-lane alternating traffic this weekend.

A statement from the Transportation Ministry says crews have cleared the stretch of Highway 4 east of Port Alberni of trees and debris that had tumbled down over steep terrain, and work is underway to install temporary safety measures.

It says those measures include a concrete barrier and protective “mesh curtains’’ suspended by cranes to prevent debris from falling onto the route.

A backroad detour remains open and local airlines have added flights to meet demand for travel to and from cut-off communities, including Tofino and Ucluelet.

Vancouver: The Crown utility in charge of generating and delivering electricity in British Columbia says the province is going to need enough new power to run 270,000 homes starting as early as 2028.
The forecast from BC Hydro comes as the company plans its first call in 15 years to find new large sources of electricity.
Premier David Eby told a news conference Thursday that the forecast that calls for the additional 3,000 gigawatt hours per year of renewable energy is three years earlier than previously estimated.
“We need to act now to meet this growing demand and to ensure we stay on track with our climate goals,’’ he said.
BC Hydro says the company expects to launch a call for more power in the spring of 2024, so it can have new sources as early as 2028.
A previous independent power producers program in B.C. was “indefinitely suspended’’ in 2019.
Eby said the former standing offer program forced BC Hydro to often buy power from producers at a price that was much higher than the market rate, whether the utility needed it or not.
“This is a new process, a competitive process that will work with independent power producers to deliver the power that we actually need and that is cost competitive,’’ he said.
A government statement says work will be done to design a call for power that includes a minimum First Nations ownership in the project.
Consultation will also start with First Nations and the First Nations Energy and Mining Council on options for Indigenous economic participation requirements, the statement says.
Energy Minister Josie Osborne said the province is also promising $140 million for the B.C. Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative, which will support smaller Indigenous-led power projects that may otherwise not be competitive due to their size.
“These projects will generate jobs and economic opportunities that support Indigenous self determination and advanced reconciliation,’’ she said.
BC Hydro is promising to acquire only 100-per-cent renewable electricity, including wind and solar.

Victoria: The British Columbia government is expanding access to opioid treatment medications such as methadone by providing universal coverage to help people with substance use disorders, making it the first province in Canada to do so.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a news release Wednesday that full coverage of the medications will be available to B.C. residents under the province’s medical services plan.
The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions said the policy became effective June 6, and expands full coverage to approximately 1,638 people who had been paying out of pocket for the drugs, out of a total of 34,520 who had been receiving the treatments in B.C. last year.
Dix said improving access to the medication strengthens the public health system.
“By reducing financial barriers to opioid agonist treatment medication, we’re making it easier for people to get the care they need and helping to create more equitable health outcomes for people in B.C.’’
Opioid agonist treatment involves the use of medications such as methadone, and the ministry said it is distinct from safer supply, in which “pharmaceutical alternatives to illicit drugs’’ are prescribed to drive people away from the toxic street-drug market.
The treatment has been proven to work by keeping people from turning to illicit opioids, reducing the risk of death, the news release said.
Elenore Sturko, BC United Opposition critic for mental health and addictions, said in an interview that the funding is a positive step that could have been done years earlier by the NDP government.
She said it was a relatively inexpensive measure to remove costly barriers for the 1,600 or so patients who no longer have to pay for their own opioid agonist treatment medications.
Sturko said many people dealing with addiction still face financial difficulty accessing drug treatment programs, something her party has promised to address should it form government in the future.
Though B.C. is experimenting with decriminalization to remove stigma around drug addiction, Sturko said financial barriers to other drug treatment services also need to be torn down.
“I hope this signals that they are looking at removing financial barriers from all treatment and recovery services in B.C. because it is one of the biggest barriers to people getting the help that they need,’’ Sturko said.
The provincial government’s funding comes amid pushback from B.C. health officials against criticism of the province’s safe supply program and drug policies by federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and others.
Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.’s minister of mental health and addictions, said in the statement the coverage removes cost barriers to opioid treatments and will help people “stabilize their lives, prevent deaths and stay on their journey to wellness.’’
“The toxic drug crisis continues to claim lives at an unprecedented rate. When people reach out for help, we want them met with support regardless of the size of their pocketbook,’’ Whiteside said.
Dr. Rolando Barrios with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS applauded the province’s move, and said he hoped people on the treatment will stick with it now that financial burdens have been removed.
“We’re good at starting people on therapy,’’ Barrios said. “But if you look at the retention into the treatment side, it’s not great, it’s low. So it’s about one-third of clients are retained, so what I always point out is that they don’t stay long enough in therapy to benefit.’’
“And that’s an area that we need to change. This may contribute a little bit because of course if I don’t have to worry about paying for the medication, it’s more likely that I will adhere to the medication, right?’’ Barrios added.
Contd. on Page 7
Dr. Paxton Bach, co-medical director at the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, said any action to tackle the province’s overdose crisis is welcome, especially when it involves effective, evidence-based approaches like opioid agonist treatment.

By Darryl Greer
The Canadian Press