April sees increase in toxic drug deaths in B.C., as coroner reports 165 fatalities
Toxic drug deaths were on a downward trend over the last year, but April saw an uptick
The B.C. Coroners Service says April was the first time in six months that more than 160 deaths were recorded due to toxic drugs.
It said in a statement that 165 people died in April, up from 143 deaths in March and 132 fatalities in February.
The February and March numbers represented year-over-year declines of more than 30 per cent compared with the same months in 2024, while April's total amounted to a lesser decrease of about 14 per cent.
The statement released Tuesday says deaths in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities make up 57 per cent of fatalities so far this year.
It says fentanyl continues to be the most common substance linked to deaths and smoking is the primary mode of consumption of unregulated toxic drugs.
While Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities have the larger number of deaths, the Northern and Interior health regions have seen the highest per-capita rates of death so far in 2025.
The B.C. Green caucus issued a statement Tuesday noting that a growing number of drug deaths occurred outdoors, 21 per cent so far this year, compared with 15 per cent in 2022.
"This report underscores the widening gaps in care, housing, and access to life-saving services," said interim Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote in the statement.
"The ongoing loss of life is not inevitable — it's a consequence of political choices."
The Greens are asking the province to provide a regulated alternative to the toxic drug supply, supervised consumption services that are accessible, and timely treatment for those who need it.
New service standards for OPSes
Earlier this month, the province released new minimum service standards for all community-based overdose prevention sites (OPS) that receive public funding and all in-hospital sites, laying out a baseline of how they should be operated.
The province says there are nine OPSes at hospitals in B.C. It says the service standards are not intended to identify where more sites may be needed, but noted that health-care authorities have been told the requirements for creating new ones.
The province says there had been more than 5.6 million visits to OPSes since January 2017, and the services had prevented more than 12,400 overdose deaths since 2019.
"Overdose prevention services are critical in saving thousands of lives, connecting people to treatment and reducing public drug use," said Health Minister Josie Osborne in a ministry statement.
Doctors for Safer Drug Policy, an advocacy group consisting of physicians who care for drug users, said it was cautiously optimistic over the new standards.
The group has been involved with setting up an unsanctioned overdose prevention site at the Nanaimo Regional Hospital, as well as other pop-up sites at hospitals on Vancouver Island.
The group's co-founder, Dr. Ryan Herriot, says they agree with the government that the services save lives and reduce public drug use — but Herriot says he has concerns with whether the new standards will mean drawn-out consultation processes for new sites.
"Even if these processes are well-intentioned and well-designed, there is the possibility of further slowing things down, which, again, given that it's an emergency, is not ideal," Herriot said in a statement.
"Overall, it is nice to see the B.C. [government] validates what we have been saying. Now let us see them put it into practice."
With files from the CBC's Akshay Kulkarni