The BC Coroner's Service has released its updated illicit drug overdose death numbers -- and those numbers continue to climb.
More than 11-hundred British Columbians have died due to suspected overdoses, with preliminary data indicating 80 suspected deaths in September -- a 31% increase from September last year. That brings the numbers of suspected deaths for the year so far to 1,103 -- up from 607 at this time in 2016.
As well fentanyl detected in 83%of the overdoses -- a 147% increase from 2016. And the more powerful Carfentanil was detected in 37 suspected overdose deaths between June and September this year.
Media spokesman Andy Watson says something new that's been noticed is that the deaths spike when social assistance cheques come out:
"And we saw almost a double the number of deaths in those 5 days following compared with the rest of the month. So an average of 6 deaths per day in the 5 days that follow income assistance payments."
4 out of 5 who died were male, almost three quarters involved people between 30 and 59, and 9 out of ten deaths occurred in private residences -- none in supervised injection sites.
Victoria has had 70 deaths so far this year, making this city one of the 3 highest townships for drug deaths. Vancouver is the top (281) followed by Surrey (133).
And media spokesman Andy Watson says Nanaimo is at number 5:
"In 2016 for the entire month we saw 28 suspected illicit drug overdose deaths. Through 9 months of 2017 we've see 38 already. So they're on pace to almost double their 2016 total."
Watson says it show illicit drug overdoses are not just a big city problem. And he says the people dying are from all walks of life and incomes.