Another six people in Kamloops lost their lives due to toxic drugs in the month of August, according to new preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service.

It takes the total on the year to 62 deaths, putting Kamloops on pace for a record 93 such deaths this year. That is one more than the previous record of 92 toxic drug deaths reported just last year.

That would make it the fourth straight record year after 77 such deaths in 2021, and 60 in 2020.

Across the province, there were 174 toxic drug deaths in August, taking the total on the year to 1,645 people. While its the lowest monthly death toll since June 2022, the Coroners urge caution in drawing conclusions from a single month of data as it is subject to change as more death investigations are completed.

“We are continuing to lose members of our communities in heartbreaking numbers as a result of the toxicity of the illicit drug market,” Chief Coroner, Lisa Lapointe, said.

“No town, neighbourhood or family is immune from this crisis and as the years of this public-health emergency go by, more and more British Columbians are experiencing the devastating loss of a friend, colleague or family member to the illicit-drug supply.”

Like Kamloops, B.C. is also on pace to record 2,468 deaths this year, 85 more than the old record of 2,383 set in 2022.

The BC Coroners say smoking remains the primary mode of drug consumption, with almost two-thirds of death investigations in 2023 involving people who consumed substances in this manner.

It says it further underscores the need for spaces for people who use drugs to smoke up safely, as about eight in every 10 deaths this year has occurred inside.

“The relentlessness and scale of this public-health crisis requires a proportionate response,” Lapointe added. “The BC Coroners Service continues to recommend urgent, collaborative action on the part of ministries and health authorities to co-ordinate a provincewide continuum of care that saves lives.”

“Improvements in the quality and reach of harm reduction and evidence-based treatment services are essential, as is the critical need to ensure that those at risk of dying can access safer, regulated drugs. If we cannot implement these changes, our loved ones will continue to die.”