File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Overdose Deaths

Jump in Kamloops overdose deaths in March; B.C. continues record pace in 2021

Apr 29, 2021 | 9:02 AM

VICTORIA — B.C.’s record-setting pace of overdose deaths in 2021 continued unabated in March.

According to a new report from the B.C. Coroners Service, there were 158 deaths related to illicit drug overdoses in the province last month, a 41 per cent increase over March of 2020. There have already been 498 overdose-related deaths in 2021.

The Coroners Service says men accounted for 80 per cent of the overdose deaths to date in 2021. The proportion of all deaths between the ages of 30 and 59 is 69 per cent.

Eighty-six per cent of all illicit drug overdose deaths occurred indoors, including 56 per cent in private homes. To date, 84 per cent of all overdose deaths have involved the presence of fentanyl.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Are the B.C. Conservatives digging their own graves?

12h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

Dec 14, 2024

Two and Out

PETERS: Whether building up or tearing down, Kamloops is what you make it

Dec 13, 2024

The number of overdose deaths in Kamloops jumped in March, with seven more deaths for a total of 12 so far this year. The city saw 60 overdose deaths in 2020.