BC EHS Ambulances and paramedics. (Photo via Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

B.C. Emergency Health Services paramedics responded to nearly 1,500 overdose calls in Kamloops in 2023, a 15 per cent increase from 2022 numbers.

Paramedics were called to a record 1,471 overdose calls in Kamloops last year, and another 20 on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc IR No. 1. Both those numbers were up from the 1,285 in Kamloops and the 15 on Tk’emlúps from 2022.

Across the province, BCEHS said there were 42,172 overdose calls in 2023, a 25 per cent increase from the 33,654 in 2022. Back in 2016, when B.C. declared a public health emergency, there were 19,275 overdose calls to paramedics across the province.

“Since the public health emergency for toxic drugs was declared in 2016, BCEHS has seen a 119 per cent total increase in annual overdose/poisoning events,” BCEHS said, in a statement.

“BCEHS experienced 11 months with more than 3,000 overdose/poisoning calls in 2023, and on June 21, a new daily record was set with BCEHS receiving 221 calls for the day. It was an income assistance payment day.”

Overdose calls were also up in a number of other Kamloops-area communities where data is available. In Merritt, there were 123 calls in 2023, compared to 64 in 2022. Similarly there were 126 calls in Salmon Arm (up from 91), 794 in Vernon (up from 593), and eight in Chase (up from seven).

Vancouver led the way with 10,526 overdose calls in 2023, a 34 per cent increase from the 7,827 in 2022. Surrey was second while Kelowna with 2,274 calls in 2023 (up from 1,824 in 2022) was in third.

You can find a list of the total number of overdose calls in a number of B.C. communities here.