The BC Coroners Service says nine people died in Nanaimo due to toxic street drugs in January, part of 150 deaths province-wide. (Image Credit: The Canadian Press)

By Jordan Davidson

drug toxicity

Nine deaths in Nanaimo due to unregulated street drugs in January

Mar 13, 2026 | 12:15 PM

NANAIMO — The BC Coroners Service says 150 people died from toxic drugs across the province in January, down 10 per cent from the same month last year.

Despite continuing the overall trend of deaths linked to toxic drugs, the number was higher than the 143 deaths recorded in December province-wide, with an average of nearly five people per day dying.

Nine of those January deaths were recorded in the Nanaimo region.

Across Island Health, 29 deaths were noted, tied with the Interior for the second lowest in the province, with the Northern Health Authority recording 14 deaths, the lowest in B.C.

Central Vancouver Island had some of the highest deaths per health service delivery area due to toxic drugs, with 17 in January, alongside the Vancouver Health Authority (32) and the Okanagan region (17).

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The coroner said 80 per cent of those who died were men, and almost three-quarters were people between the ages of 30 and 59, statistics which have been consistent in the almost 10 years since the province declared a public health emergency.

It said fentanyl and similar drugs were present in a “significant majority” of deaths, with around eight in 10 tests returning positive results, and most people who died consumed their toxic drugs by smoking them.

More than half of all unregulated drug deaths so far in 2026 came from the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health authorities.

The highest rates were in Northern Health, which recorded 58 deaths per 100,000 people, and Interior Health, which saw 40 deaths per 100,000 people.

In 2025, 71 people lost their lives to toxic drugs in Nanaimo, below the record-setting levels in 2023, when 114 fatalities were seen locally, according to the latest report from the BC Coroners Service (BCCS).

The Oceanside area counted 16 deaths related to toxic drugs last year.

— With files from The Canadian Press.

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