Illicit drug death toll continues to rise for Vernon, Okanagan

Nov 30, 2022 | 11:30 AM

The number of lives lost to illicit toxic drug poisonings continues to rise in the area.

A report from the B.C. Coroner’s Service identified three suspected illicit drug deaths in Vernon in October, bringing the year to date total to 33 deaths.

The data shows a trend of at least three deaths in the past two reporting months, after one death was recorded locally in August.

The highest annual overdose death toll for Vernon was 42 in 2021.

Kelowna recorded seven deaths linked to toxic drugs in October, bringing the year-to-date total to 71.

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Kamloops also saw eight toxic drug deaths in the latest month, bringing the death toll there to 74.

Both Kelowna and Kamloops remain on track to surpass the record high annual death tolls from 2021, which were recorded at 75 and 77, respectively.

The local deaths were part of 15 recorded in the Okanagan, 29 in the Interior, and 179 in all of B.C. in October.

To date, a total of 158 people have died in the Okanagan from illicit toxic drugs. The highest annual death toll for the area was 174 in 2021.

As of the end of October, a total of 1,827 British Columbians have died due to illicit toxic drugs this year, including 313 individuals in the Interior.

The to-date provincial death toll is just shy of the 1,839 deaths recorded over the same period in 2021.

The highest death tolls on record for both B.C. and the Interior were recorded in 2021 at 2,267 and 375, respectively.

“Despite the efforts of many, this public-health emergency continues to devastate families throughout our province,” Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, said.

“The increased toxicity and variability of the illicit drug supply has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk. This vulnerability is even greater for individuals who live outside the urban centres where the limited number of safer supply programs are currently focused.”

The coroner’s report data showed over 78 per cent of the British Columbians who have died due to illicit drug poisoning this year were males, and that 70 per cent of people who have died were between the ages of 40 and 59.

It also showed 83 per cent of deaths occurred inside, and 55 per cent of the total deaths occurred in private residences.

“Our government is expanding and evolving our response to this public-health emergency as we strive to stop the terrible loss of life to the poisoned drug supply. While we have been adding new treatment and recovery services, expanding overdose prevention and working to end stigma about addiction, the increasing illicit drug toxicity has taken more lives,” Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson said.

“Earlier this month, A New Tomorrow opened its doors in Kamloops and is offering publicly-funded substance-use treatment for adults and youth. On Vancouver Island, Coastal Sage Healing Centre is welcoming women and non-binary people to its treatment centre, offering culturally safe and trauma-informed services. We know there is more work to do,” the minister added.

The report stated no deaths this year have occurred at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites, and post-mortem toxicology results do not show any links between prescribed safe supply contributing to illicit drug deaths in B.C.

“This is not a matter of choosing one approach over another,” Lapointe said.

“The recommendations from both the Standing Committee on Health and two B.C. Coroners Service death review panels are clear: we must create a comprehensive continuum of care that supports people with substance-use disorders, and we must improve access to evidence-based options for treatment and recovery. Most importantly, as those reports recommended, it is imperative that access to safer supply is available in all areas of the province.”

B.C. Green leader Sonia Furstenau is calling for an immediate expansion of safe supply areas.

“Premier David Eby needs to make clear to British Columbians what he intends to do to address the toll of the illicit toxic drug supply. This government is currently not doing enough to reduce the harms caused by toxic drugs. If Premier Eby truly wants to save lives, he would introduce widely accessible safe supply,” Furstenau stated.

by Liam Verster

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