New preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service shows there were a record 12 illicit drug toxicity deaths in Kamloops in the month of August.

It broke the previous record of 11 set in January this year, taking the total number of lives lost in Kamloops to 62 people. It’s the fifth highest among B.C. municipalities – with only Vancouver (351), Surrey (152), Greater Victoria (107), and Abbotsford (65) ahead of Kamloops.

With an average of 7.75 deaths a month this year, Kamloops is on pace to hit 93 toxic drug deaths this year, the third straight record year, after 77 in 2021 and 60 in 2020.

Provincially, there were 169 lives lost due to the toxic drug supply in August – an average of 5.5 deaths a day – for a year-to-date total of 1,468 people.

“The illicit drug market continues to pose immense risks to people across our province,” Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, said.

“People in communities across B.C. are continuing to lose friends, family members and colleagues to the unprecedented toxicity of the unregulated drug supply. I extend my sincere condolences to all of those grieving the loss of a loved one.”

The Coroners say illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia, second only to cancers in terms of years of life lost. With the exception of June 2022, there have been at least 150 illicit drug-related deaths in B.C. every month since October 2020 – an average of 184 a month.

All told, at least 10,326 British Columbians have been lost to the illicit drug supply since a public-health emergency was first declared in April 2016.