Island Health recorded 33 toxic drug overdose deaths in April — the highest number in a single month since August 2024.
Toxic drug deaths on Vancouver Island shot up in April, part of a provincial spike that saw more than 160 overdose deaths a month for the first time since September.
Island Health recorded 33 toxic drug overdose deaths in April — the highest number in a single month since August, and up from the 29 recorded in the same month last year. It’s also well above the 19 deaths in March.
Across B.C., total of 165 toxic drug deaths were recorded in April, up from 143 deaths in March and 132 in February, the B.C. Coroners Service says.
The provincial uptick follows an update last month that confirmed March as the sixth consecutive month during which fewer than 160 people died of an overdose in B.C.
The February and March numbers represented year-over-year declines of more than 30 per cent compared with the same months in 2024.
Among townships in B.C., Greater Victoria had the third highest number of toxic drug deaths in April, with eight, behind Surrey with 12 and Vancouver with 31.
The Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities account for 57 per cent of fatalities so far this year, the coroners report says.
Most of the deaths were on the central Island, where 19 people died. Eight were on South Vancouver Island and six in the north.
Fentanyl continues to be the most common substance linked to deaths, and smoking is the primary mode of consumption of unregulated toxic drugs.
While Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health authorities have the largest number of deaths, the Northern and Interior health regions have seen the highest per-capita rates of death so far in 2025.
The B.C. Green caucus issued a statement Tuesday, noting that a growing number of drug deaths occurred outdoors: 21 per cent so far this year, compared with 15 per cent in 2022.
“This report underscores the widening gaps in care, housing, and access to life-saving services,” said interim party leader Jeremy Valeriote in the statement. “The ongoing loss of life is not inevitable — it’s a consequence of political choices.”
— With files from the Times Colonist