December 2,2025
RED FM News Desk
New coroner data shows that 150 people in B.C. died from unregulated toxic drugs in October—an average of 4.8 deaths per day, with almost half occurring in private homes.
The B.C. Coroners Service reported Tuesday that fentanyl and related analogues remain the substances most frequently detected in rapid toxicology tests. October’s death count is lower than the 163 recorded in October 2024 and is the lowest for any October since before the pandemic. Despite a significant drop in overdose mortality since 2023, the rate is still far higher than in 2016, when B.C. declared a public health emergency; that October saw 77 deaths.
Coroners also highlighted an increase in youth fatalities in 2025, with 21 deaths among people under 19 between January and October, up from 17 during the same period in 2024. Men accounted for 77 per cent of overdose deaths this year, and when occupations were known, victims most often worked in trades, transport, equipment operation, sales, or service.
The B.C. government recently announced that all safer-supply clients will soon be required to consume their prescribed substances under supervision from a health-care professional. This “witnessed dosing” policy, aimed at preventing diversion of safer-supply medications, will take full effect on Dec. 30.
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