B.C. reports 138 suspected unregulated-drug toxicity deaths in June

The BC Coroners Service reported 138 deaths due to suspected unregulated-drug toxicity in June 2026.

Photo: BC Coroners Service/Province of B.C.)

British Columbia reported 138 deaths due to suspected unregulated-drug toxicity in June, an average of about 4.6 deaths each day, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the BC Coroners Service. The service’s previous bulletins reported 109 deaths in May 2026 and 147 deaths in June 2025, although all three monthly figures remain subject to revision.

The May count was the lowest monthly figure reported by the Coroners Service since February 2020. During the first six months of 2026, people between 30 and 59 accounted for 68 per cent of the province’s unregulated-drug toxicity deaths, while 75 per cent of those who died were male.

Eighty-one per cent of the deaths reported during the first half of 2026 occurred indoors. Private homes accounted for 53 per cent, other residences such as supportive housing and shelters accounted for 28 per cent, and 18 per cent occurred outside in locations that included vehicles, sidewalks and parks.

Fraser Health recorded 206 unregulated-drug deaths during the first six months of the year, while Vancouver Coastal Health recorded 200. Together, the two health authorities accounted for 52 per cent of the provincial total.

Among people who underwent expedited toxicology testing during 2026, fluorofentanyl was detected in 67 per cent of cases. Cocaine was detected in 55 per cent, fentanyl in 53 per cent and methamphetamine in 52 per cent.

Smoking was the most common mode of consumption during the first half of the year, at 68 per cent, followed by nasal insufflation at 11 per cent and injection at eight per cent. The Coroners Service cautioned that its data remain preliminary and may change as additional toxicology results are received and investigations are completed.