Fraser Health recorded the highest number of toxic drug deaths in BC in May, according to new data from the BC Coroners Service (BCCS). Thirty-five people died in the health authority that month—12 more than the second-highest total, recorded in the Island and Vancouver Coastal health authorities.

Fraser Health was the only authority in the province to record a higher death toll in May 2026 than in May 2025. 

However, the number of deaths so far this year is significantly lower than the first five months of 2025. From January to May, 166 people (25 female, 141 male) died from toxic drugs in the Fraser Health region, compared with 223 over the same time frame last year. 

This downward trend was seen across BC, where 109 people died of toxic drugs in May—an average of 3.5 deaths a day. This marked the lowest monthly death toll in the province since February 2020. 

So far in 2026, 630 British Columbians have died of toxic drugs—nearly 20 per cent fewer than the 775 deaths recorded from January to May last year. 

The two substances most linked to drug deaths in Fraser Health are fluorofentanyl (a synthetic opioid more potent than fentanyl) and methamphetamine.

The BCCS says the death rate among people aged 19 to 59 has declined significantly in the province since 2021, while the death rate among people 60 and older has remained “relatively stable.”