Opioid deaths down 17% nationally, but up in some provinces, data shows

New federal data says apparent opioid-related deaths dropped by 17 per cent across Canada in 2024 compared with the prior year.

But they rose in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories over the same period.

A new report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction says that despite the drop in deaths across Canada, opioid toxicity deaths remain “very high.”

There were 7,150 apparent opioid-related deaths in Canada in 2024, an average of 20 per day.

British Columbia reported the most deaths with 2,299; Ontario saw 2,231 deaths, and Alberta reported 1,181 opioid-related deaths — but all three provinces reported a drop compared with 2023.

Quebec was fourth with 645 deaths in 2024, up from 536 reported in 2023 — and more than double the number of deaths in 2022.

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In Newfoundland and Labrador, 45 people died in 2024 of an apparent opioid death, up from 37 in 2023.

The Northwest Territories reported six deaths last year, a rise from three in 2023.