2020 was B.C.’s deadliest year ever for drug overdoses

Last year was B.C.’s deadliest on record for drug overdoses, with almost five people dying every day on average, according to the BC Coroners Service. In 2020, 1,716 people died due to illicit drug use — a 74 per cent increase over 2019, when 984 people died. Last year’s staggering toll equates to about 4.7 deaths per day, which is two per day higher than in 2019. Read more on this story: