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Sunshine Coast has seen 16 overdose deaths in past 2 years

The BC Coroners Service has released data that gives a better picture of how the overdose crisis is impacting the Sunshine Coast. The number of overdose deaths in B.C.
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The BC Coroners Service has released data that gives a better picture of how the overdose crisis is impacting the Sunshine Coast.

The number of overdose deaths in B.C. reached 1,386 between January and October of this year, according to new statistics released Wednesday.

Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria continue to be hardest hit by the overdose crisis, with the three cities alone accounting for 611 of the deaths recorded provincewide over the 10-month time period.

The statistics package also included information on the 15 hardest hit Local Health Areas (LHA) in terms of the rate of illicit drug toxicity deaths per 100,000, measured in two-year blocks.

The Powell River LHA was 15th, with 21 deaths from Jan. 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2020 and a rate of 35.4 deaths per 100,000 – an increase of five from the Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019 period.

Numbers for the Sunshine Coast LHA were not included in the Coroners Service release but were provided to Coast Reporter later.

They show 16 deaths over the period from Jan. 1, 2018 to Oct. 31, 2020 and a rate per 100,000 of 17.7 – up marginally from 17.6 in 2017-19.

Overall, the new Coroners Service statistics show the number of deaths per month continue to surpass the 100-mark this year, which first occurred in March with 114 recorded provincewide and climbing to a high of 183 in June, before decreasing to 162 in October.

The new statistics equate to more than five people per day dying of an overdose in the province, with extreme concentrations of fentanyl still present in the drug supply, according to the Coroners Service data.

Dr. Patricia Daly, the chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, has said many times this year that she feared more drug users were using alone because of public health orders and measures related to the pandemic.

Daly reiterated those concerns last week at a news conference with Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart. She also pointed out the pandemic has disrupted the supply of illegal drugs and led to more toxic drugs on the street since March.

“The pandemic has worsened the opioid overdose crisis,” she said. “Those dying of overdoses are younger on average than those dying of COVID-19. Ninety per cent of people are in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 19 to 59.”

This year has seen more aggressive action to prevent fatalities, poisonings and overdoses on the Sunshine Coast, including the establishment of an Overdose Prevention Task Force and a public safe consumption site at the RainCity Housing shelter at 5653 Wharf Ave. in Sechelt in July.

Elected officials from the Sunshine Coast met with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions before the provincial election to calls for more support and resources.

On Nov. 26 Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers announced the province had approved $100,000 to fund the Community Action Team and anti-stigma workshops were planned. 

– with files from Sophie Woodroofe and Mike Howell