As the numbers of fentanyl-related overdose deaths continues to grow, BC's Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe is acknowledging there has sometimes been no room at various morgues. Lapointe says last Christmas was particularly difficult as people don't like to have funerals at that time of year, and wanted to delay them until the New Year -- which meant storage was a struggle:
"It was a struggle. We were a bit challenged for space. Some of the local funeral homes in Vancouver were very very helpful offering their sopace for us to use. And that's been much appreciated. We've made some additional arrangements now for storage of the deceased."
Lapointe says fentanyl-related deaths far outnumber all other tramautic deaths in the province, except for natural deaths.
Between January and July 876 people died in B-C. That's up from 483 fatalities in the first seven months of 2016.