More local drug deaths, but still below record high levels

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Those trends were also being seen in Kelowna and across B.C.

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Kelowna saw another seven fatal overdoses in September for a year-to-date death toll of 55. That was down from 2023 when there were 104 deaths in total, including 76 as of the end of that September.

Across B.C. there were 133 suspected unregulated drug deaths in September. That brings the year-to-date death toll to 1,143.

Comparatively, 2023 saw a record high 2,591 deaths across the province and over the course of the year, including 1,903 as of the end of that September.

The B.C. Coroners Service said people aged between 30 and 59 years old made up 70 per cent of the people who had died from drug-related poisonings this year, while 76 per cent were male.

So far in 2026, 78 per cent of these deaths had occurred inside, including 50 per cent in private residences, and the remaining 28 per cent in other indoor locations such as social and supportive housing, shelters, and hotels.

Fluorofentanyl was detected in 68 per cent of cases that underwent expedited toxicology testing this year.