Friday March 13, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
News analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Toxic drug deaths in BC have been under a state of emergency since 2016.
For nearly 10 years now, nearly five British Columbians per day continue to lose their lives due to toxic drugs, according to preliminary data released by the BC Coroners Service yesterday.
While the 150 deaths reported in January represents a decrease of 10% from the total number investigated in January 2025 (167), it still equates to 4.8 deaths daily and is consistent with the number of deaths reported monthly throughout 2025.
In the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 there were 18,246 toxic drug related deaths, or about 1,825 per year. The peak was in 2023 which is years after the declaration of the emergency.
- 2016: 997 deaths
- 2017: 1,495 deaths
- 2018: 1,566 deaths
- 2019: 992 deaths
- 2020: 1,775 deaths
- 2021: 2,293 deaths
- 2022: 2,390 deaths
- 2023: 2,590 deaths
- 2024: 2,315 deaths
- 2025: 1,833 deaths (preliminary, indicates a 21% drop)
- 2026 (Jan): 150 deaths
Fentanyl factor:
Fentanyl and its analogues continue to be identified in a significant majority of deaths, with nearly eight in every 10 tests returning positive results, said the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General in a news release March 12.
“Smoking remains the dominant mode of consumption, with evidence indicating that almost three of every four decedents in January 2026 consumed the substances that led to their deaths in this manner,” the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General stated.
Smoking would include the vaping of substances that could include fentanyl.
Male adults of working age:
Nearly three-quarters of the lives lost in January 2026 were between 30 and 59 years, and 80% were male.
Over recent years, it has been found that many of the men in this cohort are in the construction industry. while the physical labour of construction sometimes leads to the use of prescribed painkillers, the situation can escalate.
Demand for workers:
There is intense pressure on the construction industry to produce the housing and infrastructure that the Province and communities need to community growth.
Many development projects slowed down during and after the pandemic due to a demand for workers.
The Province has in recent years invested in training more people in the skilled trades, as a way to ease some pressure on that sector and provide steady employment for British Columbians.
Youth on drugs:
A BC Coroners report published in May 2024 shows that between 2019 and 2023 there was increase in unregulated drug toxicity deaths in children (youth under age 19) — about 25 per year on average.
There were no prescriptions provided for the fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, MDMA or methamphetamine which caused the deaths of these children, the Coroner said. In some cases this was from accidental exposure.
Half the deaths (51%) were among girls and more than half (60%) were in youth ages 17 and 18.
Root causes
The use of drugs for pain relief or escape seems to have found some level of tolerance if not acceptance in modern society. Big picture — we need to be looking at the sources of pain and frustration that lead people to the use of drugs, which oftentimes leads to addiction and undesirable outcomes from that.
Part of that could be the relentless competition forced on people in the way our society currently operates. Much of that pressure can lead to desperate behavours like violence, crime, drug use and suicide.
The BC NDP have focussed on the medical treatment of drug use and addiction, but perhaps the investment needs to be in addressing the socioeconomic factors that lead to drug use and addiction.
Accidental death through exposure to toxic drugs is a further indication that a range of things require attention, including regulation, education, and attention to the root causes or despair or desire for release for which people often turn to the use of drugs.
In November 2023 the BC Government released a report called An Urgent Response to a Continuing Crisis.
Mental health supports:
The BC Ministry of Health provides mental health and substance use supports called Help Starts Here.
===== RELATED:
- Langford city and developers support The Forge – more donors wanted (November 14, 2025)
- BC Coroner’s report on reducing suicide opens discussion on societal supports (October 15, 2025)
- BC Greens: schools need more funding for youth drug education & supports (September 24, 2024)
- BC overdose crisis continues at six deaths per day (August 31, 2023)
- Addressing root causes of toxic drug public health emergency (April 14, 2023)
- NEWS SECTIONS: MENTAL HEALTH & ADDICTIONS