From January to April, 43 people in the Central Okanagan (ranging from Peachland to Lake Country) have died from toxic drugs.
On Tuesday, June 24, the province released the unregulated drug statistics for the first four months of 2025.
Thirty-five of the deaths occurred in Kelowna, which makes up six per cent of the total toxic drug deaths across the province. At present, the death rate per 100,000 people is 49.7 in the Central Okanagan.
In 2024, there were 105 unregulated toxic drug deaths in the region.
Across the entire Okanagan, there have been 66 toxic drug deaths in 2025, which the BC Coroners Service breaks down by month:
- January - 13;
- February - 18;
- March - 18;
- April - 17.
Central Okanagan, there have been 16 deaths in Kamloops and 11 in Vernon.
Per health region, Interior Health has the second highest death rate at 35 per 100,000 people. Behind the Central Okanagan's 43 deaths, there have been 16 deaths in Kamloops and 11 in Vernon, so far this year.
The BC Coroners Service also announced that 165 people in B.C. died during the month of April. Nearly 17,000 have been killed province-wide since 2016.
The provincial authority updates its data three times a year, at the end of April, August, and December.
