B.C. saw the fewest monthly drug deaths provincewide in May of any month since February of 2020.
But 3.5 people per day still died due to suspected unregulated drug toxicity, for a total of 109 deaths, according to preliminary data from the B.C. Coroners Service.
The death rate over the past five years for people over 60 years old has remained relatively stable, with a sharp decline in deaths among people aged 19 to 59. More than three-quarters of those who died in May were male.
So far in 2026, the majority of deaths, 53 per cent, have occurred in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health authorities. Eighty-one per cent of deaths for the year have occurred in private residences, social housing, or shelter settings, while 18 per cent occurred in public places.
The B.C. Green Party put out a news release in response to the numbers that urges continued government action on the toxic drug crisis despite the drop in the number of deaths.
“When reports such as this come out, the public may see numbers — but behind each number is a person,” West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jeremy Valerite said in the release. “With every life lost is a community grieving, and our hearts are with them.”
Valeriote also says the number of deaths shouldn’t be the only metric used to measure the severity of the crisis.
“Non-fatal overdoses are a sign that naloxone and other life-saving measures are working,” he said. “But the complexity of the toxic drug supply places an enormous strain on peoples’ lives, and on our health-care system.”
The Greens want a consistent regulated alternative to the toxic drug supply and expanded access to low-barrier supervised consumption sites.
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