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.
It says starting at the end of November 2023, Canadians will be able to call 988 to be connected to a mental health crisis or suicide prevention service, free of charge. The Public Health Agency of Canada will decide which group will provide the service, along with the scope of care it will offer.
The motorcyclist, a man in his eighties from the Kamloops area, died as a result of the collision. The driver of the van, a man in his seventies from the East Kootenays, was not injured in the crash, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
On August 26, 2022, a 54-year-old woman was arrested and the Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit executed a search warrant on a residence in the Cloverdale area. The suspect was later released pending further investigation.
Coquitlam RCMP are continuing with investigative efforts to locate 25yr old male Arjun Purewal who is wanted for Breaching his Release Order. He is South Asian with black hair and brown eyes.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed a male exposing himself in the 1400 block of Parkway Boulevard, Coquitlam, to call the Coquitlam RCMP and help police with their investigation.
3 kilograms of Opioids and 7.4 kilograms of Methamphetamine were seized from within the residence. At this time, no arrests have been made. The investigation is in its early stages, with drug trafficking & production charges forthcoming.