National

Overdose deaths set more records in B.C.: coroner

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Jul, 2022 02:35 PM

VICTORIA - The British Columbia chief coroner says the province is on pace to lose another record number of people to toxic drugs this year.

There were at least 195 deaths from overdoses in May, the highest number ever recorded in the calendar month and a 20 per cent increase over the number of deaths in April.

Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says in a statement the illicit drug supply in B.C. is volatile and inconsistent, and expedited toxicology testing since July 2020 shows that 91 per cent of submitted samples have detected fentanyl or its analogues.

In at least 44 per cent of the cases, benzodiazepine was detected, which the coroner says doesn't respond to naloxone and makes reversing an overdose very difficult.

At least 940 people died from toxic drugs in B.C. between January and May, which is also a record number for the start of a calendar year.

Mental Health and Addictions Minister Sheila Malcolmson says the numbers are "devastating" and the province is working to build and fund a system to deliver treatment and recovery options across B.C.

https://t.co/aQ1VVJaq2V
— Sheila Malcolmson (@s_malcolmson) July 14, 2022

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Charge laid in New Year's Eve death of B.C. woman

RCMP on Vancouver Island say a 27-year-old man has been charged with one count of second-degree murder following a slaying in Langford, B.C. An unnamed woman was found dead in a home during a wellness check on Dec. 31.

Charge laid in New Year's Eve death of B.C. woman

CEOs paid at second-highest level during pandemic

In 2020, as many Canadians had hours cut or lost their jobs completely during repeated lockdowns and forced closures, the highest-paid 100 CEOs at publicly traded companies earned an average of $10.9 million. That was down from the record high of $11.8 million in 2018, but an increase of $95,000 compared with 2019.

CEOs paid at second-highest level during pandemic

Trudeau gets COVID-19 booster shot in Ottawa

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined the ranks of Canadians who are rolling up their sleeves for COVID-19 booster shots. Trudeau received his third shot at an Ottawa pharmacy this morning.

Trudeau gets COVID-19 booster shot in Ottawa

VPD makes arrest after meat cleaver pulled during mask dispute

The 23-year-old suspect was shopping at a Robson Street grocery store Monday morning when a staff member noticed he wasn’t wearing a mask. When the employee insisted the shopper mask up, the man allegedly pulled a knife, threatened the worker, then left the store without paying for his groceries.

VPD makes arrest after meat cleaver pulled during mask dispute

Frigid cold again grips parts of B.C.

Conditions along the north and central coast also feel as cold as -20 C due to the wind chill, while winter storm watches warn of up to 20 centimetres of snow over northern Vancouver Island and the central coast through Thursday.

Frigid cold again grips parts of B.C.

Extreme cold negatively impacting birds in B.C.

The association said 53 hummingbirds from the Lower Mainland were brought into its care during the last week of December when the temperature first plummeted, a drastic increase in comparison to the four birds it treated during the same time period a year earlier.