There were 150 people killed by toxic drugs in British Columbia during the first month of 2026.
The January statistics were released by the Ministry of Public Safety and BC Coroners Service on Thursday, and they represent a 10% decrease from January 2025.
Just over 11% of those deaths came in the Okanagan, as the report lists that 17 people were killed by toxic drugs in the region during January.
That included 11 in Kelowna, three in Vernon and two in Penticton, while the final death was in a smaller community not listed in the report.
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January’s total for the Okanagan was in line with the number seen at the start of 2025, but a stark increase from what the region was seeing in the latter half of last year.
It’s the highest total since May 2025, with 11 or 12 toxic drug deaths in every month between June and November, then only seven recorded in December.
The 150 deaths seen around BC equates to around 4.8 per day and the statistics show a consistent trend with the majority being males between the ages of 30 and 59.
“Fentanyl and its analogues continue to be identified in a significant majority of deaths, with nearly eight in every 10 tests returning positive results,” explains a release from the Province.
“Smoking remains the dominant mode of consumption, with evidence indicating that almost three of every four decedents in January 2026 consumed the substances that led to their deaths in this manner.”
April will mark the 10-year anniversary of a public health emergency being declared in British Columbia over toxic drug deaths.
To see the entire January report, which includes numbers from months and years past, click this link.
