Paramedics in B.C. responded to nearly 100 overdoses a day in 2021

VANCOUVER — Paramedics and medical dispatchers in B.C. responded to a record-setting 35,525 overdose calls last year.

BC Emergency Health Services says paramedics attended an average of 97 overdose calls a day last year, a 31 per cent increase compared with 2020.

The agency says in a news release that overdose calls have steadily increased since 2015, and every health region in the province reported a rise in the volume of overdose calls last year.

It says the most calls came from the largest cities, with Surrey seeing the most dramatic increase with 3,674 calls, a nearly 50 per cent jump.