More than 1K British Columbians died of toxic drugs in the first eight months of the year, according to new data from the B.C. Coroners Service. 

Across B.C., 239 people died from drug poisoning this summer—113 in July and 126 in August. This equates to 3.6 and 4.1 deaths per day, respectively.

The Fraser Health region lost 68 lives to toxic drugs during this period, with 31 killed in July and 37 in August. Over the two-month period, Fraser East had 26 deaths, Fraser North had 18 and Fraser South had 24.

This is the highest number of toxic drug deaths for a health authority in the province; Vancouver Coastal Health also recorded 68 such deaths. 

The two health authorities account for 54 per cent of drug deaths in B.C. this year.

So far this year, 279 people have died in the Fraser Valley from drug poisoning.

The top substance linked to unregulated drug deaths in B.C. in 2026 is fluorofentanyl—an opioid analogue that can be more than twice as potent as fentanyl—detected in 68 per cent of cases. 

This is the first year since records began that fentanyl has not been the top substance of concern. 

The three substances most associated with toxic drug deaths in the Fraser Valley this year are fluorofentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

This year, the number of unregulated drug deaths has been trending downward. Researchers told CTV this could be due to a combination of factors, such as expanded access to treatment, improved naloxone availability and supervised consumption sites. New substances have also entered the street supply, which may be decreasing the concentration of fentanyl.

However, B.C. Emergency Health Services says overdoses were on the rise in the first half of the year, despite a drop in deaths.