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This report summarizes all unintentional illicit drug overdose deaths in British Columbia (accidental
and undetermined) that occurred between January 1, 2008, and July 31, 2018, inclusive. It includes
confirmed and suspected illicit overdose deaths. Please note that data is subject to change as
investigations are concluded.
Inclusion Criteria: The illicit drug overdose category includes the following:
• Street drugs (Controlled and illegal drugs: heroin, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, illicit
fentanyl etc.).
• Medications not prescribed to the decedent but obtained/purchased on the street, from
unknown means or where origin of drug not known.
• Combinations of the above with prescribed medications.
Summary
• There were 134 suspected drug overdose deaths in July 2018. This is a 12% increase over the
number of deaths occurring in July 2017 (120) and a 25% increase over the number of deaths
occurring in June 2018 (107).
• The number of illicit drug overdose deaths in July 2018 equates to about 4.3 deaths per day
for the month.
• In 2018, 72% of those dying were aged 30 to 59; individuals aged 19-59 have accounted 90%
of illicit drug overdose deaths. Males accounted for 80% of all suspected illicit drug overdose
deaths over the same period.
• The three townships experiencing the highest number of illicit drug overdoses in 2018 are
Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria.
• Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority have had the highest number of illicit drug
overdose deaths (283 and 256 deaths, respectively) in 2018, making up 61% of all illicit drug
overdose deaths during this period.
• Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has the highest rate of illicit drug overdose deaths (37
deaths per 100,000 individuals) followed by Northern Health Authority (34 deaths per
100,000 individuals) in 2018. Overall, the rate of illicit drug overdose deaths in BC was 31
deaths per 100,000 individuals in 2018.
• Rates of illicit drug overdose deaths are highest in Vancouver, Northern Interior, Okanagan,
Thompson Cariboo, and Northeast Health Services Delivery Areas.
• All Health Authorities except Interior saw an increase in the number of illicit drug overdose
deaths in July 2018 compared to June 2018.
• In 2018, 88% of illicit drug overdose deaths occurred inside (58% private residences, 30%
other inside locations) and 11% occurred outside in vehicles, sidewalks, streets, parks, etc.
• There were no deaths at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.
Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General Posting Date August 22, 2018
Page 1 of 20
BC Coroners Service Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths in BC
January 1, 2008 to July 31, 2018
• This figure illustrates the comparison of illicit drug overdose deaths to other common causes
of unnatural deaths from 2010 to 2017.
1400
1200
1000
Deaths
800
600
400
200
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
• More fatal overdoses occurred during the days following income assistance payment (Wed-
Sun) than all other days in 2017-18. Income assistance payment dates can be found at
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/income-assistance/payment-
dates.
Fatal Illicit Drug Overdoses per Day by Income Assistance Payment Week, 2017-18[2]
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun* Jul† Avg
Income Assistance
Payment Week 5.4 3.6 4.6 5.6 5.2 5.2 5.8 6.8 5.4 5.0 2.4 7.8 5.2
(Wed-Sun)
All other days of
3.6 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.8 3.2 4.9 4.2 3.4 3.7 3.8 3.5
the month
Total 3.9 3.1 3.1 3.5 3.2 4.1 3.6 5.2 4.4 3.7 3.5 4.5 3.8
*Includes overdose deaths on July 1, 2018 which falls on the Sunday after income assistance
payment date (June 27, 2018). †Does not include July 1, 2018.
Type of Drugs:
• Preliminary data suggests that the proportion of illicit drug overdose deaths for which illicit
fentanyl was detected (alone or in combination with other drugs) was approximately 84% in
2017 and 81% in 2018 (data up to June 30, 2018).
• Illicit fentanyl–detected deaths appear to account for the increase in illicit drug overdose
deaths since 2012 as the number of illicit drug overdose deaths excluding fentanyl-detected
has remained relatively stable since 2011 (average of 292 deaths per year). This data is
subject to change as further analogue testing results become available.
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
• A review of completed cases from 2016-18 indicates that the top four detected drugs
relevant to illicit drug overdose deaths were fentanyl (76%), cocaine (48%),
methamphetamine/amphetamine (32%), and heroin (24%).
Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths and Death Rate per 100,000 Population [2,5]
1600 35
1400 30
1200
1000
20
Deaths
800
15
600
10
400
200 5
0 0
'92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18
Deaths 162 354 308 217 301 300 400 272 236 236 172 190 183 230 229 202 183 201 211 294 269 333 368 526 993 1450 878
Rate 4.7 9.9 8.4 5.7 7.8 7.6 10.0 6.8 5.8 5.8 4.2 4.6 4.4 5.5 5.4 4.7 4.2 4.6 4.7 6.5 5.9 7.3 7.9 11.2 20.9 30.2 30.9
BC Data by Gender/Age:
Note: The age range of decedents of illicit drug overdose between 2007-2017 ranged from 13 to 82 years of age.
20%
28%
20% 23% 25% 23%
19% 23% 22% 21% 19% 19%
3% 2% 1% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1%
0% 1%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
[2,4]
Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths by Top Townships of Injury in 2017, 2008-2018*
Township 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Vancouver 38 60 42 69 65 80 101 138 236 366 231
Surrey 20 23 33 42 44 36 44 76 118 176 125
Victoria 29 13 13 17 17 25 20 22 68 91 56
Kelowna 2 5 9 14 8 12 12 20 49 75 34
Prince George 2 4 1 6 10 7 10 12 18 22 28
Kamloops 7 7 10 2 5 8 7 7 44 38 25
Burnaby 12 8 9 10 10 13 11 16 39 44 23
Nanaimo 2 6 4 8 6 20 16 18 29 52 20
Langley 6 2 3 10 5 10 10 10 31 36 20
Abbotsford 4 4 10 16 7 10 7 27 40 52 18
New Westminster 4 2 6 6 3 5 9 12 10 24 17
Maple Ridge 2 6 4 4 5 10 14 29 28 31 16
Chilliwack 4 2 2 8 8 6 6 10 12 23 16
Coquitlam 2 5 2 3 6 1 10 11 14 29 14
Vernon 1 4 6 7 1 11 6 8 12 23 14
Other Township 48 50 57 72 69 79 85 110 245 368 221
Total 183 201 211 294 269 333 368 526 993 1450 878
*sorted by 2018 totals. For variability in small numbers (cases still under investigation) and in some areas for protection
of privacy reasons, only the townships currently reporting over 5 suspected cases are shown in this table.
Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths by Day of Week of Injury, British Columbia, 2008-2018[2,3]
Day 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Monday 21 15 29 39 32 33 38 68 102 178 113
Tuesday 24 24 26 27 35 42 37 65 116 169 115
Wednesday 25 31 30 35 37 36 49 69 134 193 108
Thursday 25 27 33 51 34 41 60 75 157 210 139
Friday 31 28 33 42 32 57 59 77 137 248 126
Saturday 34 34 35 53 46 72 72 89 185 235 139
Sunday 23 42 25 47 53 52 53 83 162 217 138
Total 183 201 211 294 269 333 368 526 993 1,450 878
Illicit Drug Overdose Death Rates by Health Authority per 100,000, 2008-2018[4-7]
HA 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Interior 3.1 4.9 5.2 5.3 4.3 7.5 6.4 8.7 22.6 32.0 32.9
Fraser 4.2 3.7 5.3 7.0 6.2 6.3 7.4 12.0 18.6 26.6 26.4
Vancouver Coastal 4.4 6.3 4.7 7.3 6.4 8.4 10.4 13.8 24.1 37.0 36.8
Vancouver Island 5.9 4.5 3.1 5.9 5.8 7.8 7.2 8.9 20.8 29.8 29.8
Northern 2.1 2.1 4.6 5.7 6.3 6.6 7.3 8.8 18.2 20.8 33.7
BC 4.2 4.6 4.7 6.5 5.9 7.3 7.9 11.2 20.9 30.2 30.9
40
35
30
Rate per 100,000
25
20
15
10
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
[4,6,8]
Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths by Month of Death and Health Authority and Township, 2017-2018
Health Authorities Township
Vancouver Vancouver
Year Month Interior Fraser Northern Vancouver Surrey
Coastal Island
2017 Jan 18 48 58 19 4 53 13
Feb 21 37 36 25 5 32 15
Mar 21 43 35 24 6 26 14
Apr 19 50 57 21 6 45 12
May 26 55 39 13 7 33 21
Jun 22 36 37 24 4 30 13
Jul 29 39 30 17 5 24 20
Aug 26 37 29 21 8 23 18
Sep 12 33 26 18 3 24 13
Oct 15 37 22 21 2 18 12
Nov 17 40 33 12 3 29 16
Dec 14 26 34 19 6 29 9
2018 Jan 17 37 38 29 5 34 15
Feb 23 41 19 15 4 18 21
Mar 22 45 53 29 13 50 19
Apr 18 48 42 16 9 36 25
May 24 37 33 12 8 30 19
Jun 24 31 28 18 6 25 13
Jul 17 44 43 19 11 38 13
Total 385 764 692 372 115 597 301
Average 20.3 40.2 36.4 19.6 6.1 31.4 15.8
Illicit Drug Overdose Death Rates by Health Services Delivery Area per 100,000, 2008-2018[4-7]
HSDA 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
East Kootenay 2.6 1.3 0.0 1.3 2.6 5.2 5.1 2.6 16.6 7.7 8.7
Kootenay Boundary 0.0 2.6 3.9 5.1 5.1 2.6 3.8 7.6 12.7 21.6 21.7
Okanagan 2.6 4.3 5.2 8.1 4.6 9.4 7.6 11.9 21.8 41.7 37.8
Thompson Cariboo 5.1 7.8 7.4 2.3 4.1 6.8 5.9 5.8 29.5 28.4 37.0
Fraser East 5.1 3.2 7.8 10.9 7.0 7.0 5.5 14.2 21.9 34.5 27.2
Fraser North 3.8 3.8 4.2 4.0 4.8 5.5 7.9 11.3 15.7 21.2 19.0
Fraser South 4.2 3.7 5.3 8.0 7.2 6.7 7.6 11.7 19.7 28.1 32.1
Richmond 0.5 1.6 2.0 2.0 0.5 1.5 1.5 2.9 6.6 12.5 4.7
Vancouver 6.1 9.6 6.6 10.9 10.1 12.3 15.3 20.7 35.1 54.0 57.8
North Shore/Coast Garibaldi 3.0 2.2 2.2 2.9 2.2 4.3 5.3 5.7 11.0 15.1 11.3
South Vancouver Island 8.6 4.1 3.5 4.6 5.4 7.0 6.2 6.6 20.4 26.6 32.4
Central Vancouver Island 2.3 5.0 2.3 6.5 7.6 9.1 9.4 11.6 20.5 34.1 28.9
North Vancouver Island 5.1 4.2 3.4 8.3 3.3 7.5 5.8 9.9 22.9 30.0 23.4
Northwest 2.7 0.0 4.1 1.4 0.0 8.2 2.7 8.4 14.2 11.3 14.4
Northern Interior 2.1 3.6 5.0 5.6 8.4 5.6 7.7 10.7 16.6 23.8 43.0
Northeast 1.5 1.5 4.5 10.4 8.6 7.1 11.2 5.6 24.9 24.6 34.7
Total 4.2 4.6 4.7 6.5 5.9 7.3 7.9 11.2 20.9 30.2 30.9
Preliminary circumstances suggest that the majority of fatal illicit drug overdoses in 2018
occurred in inside locations (87.5%) while 11.3% occurred outside.
Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths by Place of Injury and Health Authority, BC, 2016-2018[2]
Vancouver Vancouver
Interior Fraser Northern
Coastal Island
Inside:
Private Residence 377 (68.2%) 785 (71.7%) 373 (38.3%) 338 (63.3%) 108 (65.1%)
Other Residence 87 (15.7%) 112 (10.2%) 463 (47.6%) 115 (21.5%) 31 (18.7%)
Other Inside 20 (3.6%) 56 (5.1%) 30 (3.1%) 15 (2.8%) 12 (7.2%)
Outside 66 (11.9%) 135 (12.3%) 95 (9.8%) 62 (11.6%) 14 (8.4%)
Unknown 3 (0.5%) 7 (0.6%) 12 (1.2%) 4 (0.7%) 1 (0.6%)
Total 553 1095 973 534 166
Private Residence – includes driveways garages, trailer homes and either decedent’s own or
another’s residence.
Other Residence - includes hotels, motels, rooming houses, SRO (single room occupancy,
shelters, social/supportive housing etc. )
Other Inside – includes facilities, occupational sites, public buildings, and businesses.
Outside – includes vehicles, streets, sidewalks, parking lots, public parks, wooded areas, and
campgrounds
Top Relevant Drugs Detected Among Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths, 2016-18
Drug Detected BC (n=1295)
Fentanyl 75.5%
Cocaine 48.0%
Meth/amph 31.5%
Ethyl alcohol 25.3%
Heroin 24.2%
Other opioids 16.5%
Methadone 6.9%
Other drugs 18.9%
Note: Relevant drugs are drugs noted by the coroner as being relevant to the death (this data is only available for
concluded investigations). As deaths could involve multiple drugs, percentages can add up to more than 100%.
Meth/amph includes methamphetamine and amphetamine. Other opioids include codeine, oxycodone, morphine,
hydromorphine etc but excludes heroin, fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and methadone. Other drug includes
benzodiazepines & Z-drugs, antidepressants, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, MDMA/MDA, cannabinoids, over-the-
counter drugs, and other drugs not listed.
Illicit Fentanyl
Cocaine
Meth/amph
Ethyl alcohol
Heroin
Other Opioids
Methadone
Other drugs
Notes:
1. The BCCS operates in a live database environment. Some data for more recent years is based on
preliminary circumstances and is subject to change as investigations are concluded. Data are not directly
comparable to published counts from previous years.
3. Date of death was used in tables where date of injury was unknown.
4. Death township was used in 24 cases of unknown or out of province injury township.
8. Due to variability in small numbers for cases still under investigation, and in some areas, for protection of
privacy reasons, only the townships currently reporting over 5 suspected cases for 2018 are shown on p.
7.
Illicit Drug Overdose Death Rate Maps by Health Services Delivery Area