There were another eight toxic drug deaths in Kamloops in the month of October, according to new data from the BC Coroners Service.

A total of 74 toxic drug deaths have been reported in Kamloops in the first ten months of 2022, with the city currently on pace for 89 such deaths by the end of the year, which would break the old record of 77 set just last year.

Across the province, there have been at least 179 people who lost their lives due to illicit drug toxicity in the month of October, about 5.8 per day, taking the provincial total on the year to 1,827 with two months of data still to come.

The data shows that B.C. is on track to nearly match the record total of 2,267 lives lost last year, the deadliest year on record.

“Despite the efforts of many, this public-health emergency continues to devastate families throughout our province,” said Lisa Lapointe, B.C.’s chief coroner.

“The increased toxicity and variability of the illicit drug supply has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk. This vulnerability is even greater for individuals who live outside the urban centres where the limited number of safer supply programs are currently focused.”

There have been at least 10,688 British Columbians who have died due to illicit drugs since the public-health emergency into substance-related harms was first declared in April 2016.

“This is not a matter of choosing one approach over another,” Lapointe added. “The recommendations from both the Standing Committee on Health and two BC Coroners Service death review panels are clear: we must create a comprehensive continuum of care that supports people with substance-use disorders, and we must improve access to evidence-based options for treatment and recovery”

“Most importantly, as those reports recommended, it is imperative that access to safer supply is available in all areas of the province.”