Image: The Canadian Press /

By Mike Vanden Bosch

More lives lost

Fentanyl continues to fuel unabated drug deaths in Abbotsford and Chilliwack

Oct 24, 2024 | 9:36 AM

VICTORIA — The B.C. Coroners Service says fentanyl and stimulants are largely to blame for the loss of hundreds of lives in just August and September alone.

The provincial agency announced Thursday (Oct. 24) that unregulated toxic drugs claimed the lives of 187 British Columbians in August and 183 in September, according to the the latest data. Initial figures reveal that since January 2024, at least 1,749 people have died from unregulated drug toxicity in communities throughout the province.

In Fraser Valley, the numbers are just as grim. In 2024 to date, 60 people have died from unregulated toxic drugs in Abbotsford, 23 in Chilliwack, and 29 in Langley. Surrey has had 178 casualties this year, Vancouver 385.

Nearly half of the drug deaths were people between 30 and 49 years of age. Over three-quarters, 77 per cent, were men.

Fentanyl was identified in 85 per cent and stimulants in 81 per cent of unregulated drug deaths in September 2024 in cases that that underwent expedited toxicological testing.

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