Drug overdose deaths are down by 24 per cent between April last year and this April, but still B-C’s Coroner says 182 people died.
Fentanyl remains the primary killer, with the drug detected in 82 per cent of test results for those who died so far this year.
The coroner’s service says nearly half of those who overdosed were between the ages of 30 and 49.
The latest figures lift the number of deaths since the public health emergency was declared eight years ago to 14-thousand 582 people.
The Canada Emergency Business Account program provided about 900,000 small businesses and not-for-profits up to $60,000 in interest-free loans during the pandemic. The deadline to repay these loans was extended last year to December 31, 2023 to ease pressure on businesses still recovering from the pandemic.
IHIT investigators are identifying the victim as 29-year old, Pavanbar Paul Mannan, of Surrey, in hopes of furthering their investigation. Surrey RCMP say in a statement Mannan was found in a white Ford Edge in the alleyway north of 96 Avenue and 130 Street around 5 p.m. on Sunday, and was later declared dead at a hospital.
White Rock RCMP beach patrol officers were on foot nearby and gave chase along the promenade. After a short foot pursuit three males were arrested and their knives seized. Two youth males, were released from police custody with conditions and future court dates, into the care of their parents/guardians.
R-C-M-P say an off-duty Mountie showed bravery when he saved three people's lives from a burning home on Vancouver Island. Police got a call yesterday morning about a neighbour's house being on fire in Lake Cowichan and when that resident knocked on the door, there was no response.
Project CEO Jason Klein has told the LNG 2023 conference in Vancouver that the project is close to 85-per-cent complete and will aim to compete globally, not only on price but also its environmental and social track record.
Two people in Nanaimo are unhurt but their home has smoke damage after what R-C-M-P say was a suspicious fire. It happened early yesterday morning south of Nanaimo in the Cinnabar Valley neighbourhood.