The BC Coroners Service has released numbers showing the month of November was the worst we've seen for overdose deaths in British Columbia. 128 people died - an average of 4 a day.
That brings the numbers for the year so far to 755, up just over 70% over the same period last year.
The previous high for illicit drug deaths in a single month was January this year with 82.
The Coroner's Service says fentanyl remains present in a high number of illicit drug deaths -- it was detected in 374 deaths, or about 60% of all illicit drug deaths. That is almost triple the number of fentanyl-related deaths compared to the same period last year.
Fraser Health Authority had the highest number (123) of illicit drug overdose deaths with fentanyl detected from January 2016 through October 2016, followed by Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (83) and Vancouver Island Health Authority (80).
When looking at individual townships over the same time period, the highest numbers of deaths were seen in Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria.