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BC recorded 1,826 toxic drug deaths last year—the lowest annual number since 2020 and a 21% drop from the previous year. Fraser Health saw nearly 100 fewer deaths compared to 2024, but the region still led the province with 533 deaths, with Surrey, Abbotsford, and Langley recording the highest numbers.
It's progress, but the toll remains nearly double what it was in 2016 when the opioid crisis was first declared a public health emergency. The province announced this week it's putting $50 million towards 400,000 take-home naloxone kits to help reverse opioid overdoses.
– Emily
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News & Features
Fraser Health had 533 toxic drug deaths in 2025
Last year, BC recorded 1,826 toxic drug deaths—the lowest annual number since 2020—according to the BC Coroners Service (BCCS). It’s a 21% drop compared to last year’s drug death toll, 2315, with nearly 500 fewer deaths.
Still, that’s nearly double the number of drug-related deaths in 2016—the year the opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in BC—when 997 people died from drugs provincewide.
Fraser Health recorded 533 toxic drug deaths last year, a drop of nearly 100 deaths compared to 2024. It’s the first time since 2020 that the health authority recorded fewer than 600.
Still, Fraser Health had the highest number of deaths for a BC health authority last year. When combined with Vancouver Coastal Health, the two authorities made up 56% of BC’s drug deaths in 2025.
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Need to Know
🏒 Chilliwack Chiefs players volunteered over 800 hours in the community during the 2024-25 season through programs including Meals on Wheels, literacy support in schools, Special Olympics coaching, and visits to seniors care homes. [Chilliwack Chiefs]
🎓 UFV's Chilliwack campus hosts a free open house on February 26 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM showcasing programs in Trades and Technology, Health Sciences, and Agriculture with live demonstrations and campus tours. [UFV]
🔍 Surrey Police continue searching for Yvonne Jackson, last seen in Langley on October 6, with family saying it's extremely out of character for the 40-year-old to be out of contact for this long. [Fraser Valley Today]
🎭 The Vancouver Arts Club's "The Golden Anniversaries" comes to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on March 17 at 7:30 PM, following a couple's rollercoaster weekend after deciding to separate on their 50th anniversary. [Fraser Valley Today]
⛷️ Chilliwack ski cross champion Reece Howden finished 13th at the Milano Cortina Olympics after exiting in the quarter-finals, criticizing course conditions as "an absolute joke" following his elimination. [Hope Standard]
🏉 The Chilliwack Crusaders Rugby Club is offering free introductory lessons for youth ages 12-14 on Wednesday nights at Atchelitz Hall as they prepare to enter a BC Spring League team for the first time. [Agassiz-Harrison Observer]
🎭 "Precarious: A Transformative Musical Tale" returns to Clarke Theatre in Mission on March 3 at 6:30 PM, telling stories of the toxic drug crisis with a cast including people with lived experience. [Mission Record]
🏠 A GoFundMe has been launched to help the Aldergrove Seniors & Veterans Society raise $35,000 for roof repairs after longtime volunteer Joan Lewis passed away, with the centre at risk of closure without insurance renewal. [Langley Advance Times]
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🗓 Things to do
Live Music Thursdays: Kanu Bites and Bevvy hosts live music with Rachelle Joan on Thursday, February 26 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, reservations recommended as seating is limited.
Magic Show: Three of Canada's best magicians—Travis Bernhardt, Nayana Fielkov, and Ben Bisaillon—perform at Almsgiving Hope Cinema & Performance House on Thursday, February 26 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, tickets $30.
No Fixed Address: The White Cart Memorial Film Screening: A documentary about grief and homelessness screens at The'í:tselíya Health & Community Centre on Wednesday, February 25 from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, followed by a panel discussion, free tickets available at whitecart.ca.
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