In 1993, an investigation by the chief coroner in British Columbia sounded the alarm after recording an of drug-related deaths, of which there were 330.

In April 2016, a provincewide state of emergency was declared after a steep and unprecedented spike in overdose deaths. This number climbed to 997. 

In 2023, the toll reached an lives lost.

Today, eight years after the state of emergency was declared, the unregulated drug crisis claims the lives of up to 200 people every month in B.C. 

In light of this, is hosting a speakers series exploring the origin of this crisis, its causes, and potential solutions. 

The first event, B次元官网网址極ut of HarmB次元官网网址檚 WayB次元官网网址�: Insight, Innovation, and Action to End the Toxic Drug Crisis, kicked off the series on Jan. 29, at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 at First Metropolitan Church. 

With over 200 people in attendance, the free event quickly filled the venue.

Co-organizer and emcee Jody Paterson spearheaded the event, bringing together leading voices to highlight an issue she said has never been more urgent.

B次元官网网址淚 can't think there are very few issues that are more important than 2,000 people dying every year because the drug supply is toxic,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址�16,000 people have died since the emergency was declared, so it hasn't gone down at all.

B次元官网网址淭here is still really no major hope on the horizon [so a] major change has to happen.B次元官网网址�

Paterson hopes the series will serve as a catalyst for change, reshaping narratives around the ongoing crisis and informing everyone from everyday residents to the highest echelons of federal government.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the number one killer of people ages 10 to 59 in B.C. by a long shot. How do we live with that?B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 hope [these events] shake all of us awake to what this crisis is and the toll that it's taking.B次元官网网址�

Having assembled a panel of "rock star" speakers, Paterson was proud to host this lineup where each voice brought decades of expertise on the matter.

The first event included Dr. Perry Kendall, former B.C. provincial health officer Lisa Lapointe, recently retired B.C. chief coroner, and Guy Felicella, activist and advocate with lived experience, among other notable voices.

Paterson was also eager to hear insights on B.C.B次元官网网址檚 toxic drug supply in a presentation from the University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 drug-checking research project. Leading the discussion was researcher and project coordinator Katy Booth.

In an interview with Victoria B次元官网网址, Booth highlighted that the primary cause of death is attributed to the growing toxicity and unpredictability of the street supply of opioids.

Last year, the vast majority of samples tested contained the synthetic opioid fentanyl or a fentanyl analog B次元官网网址� illicit, and often deadly, alterations of medically prescribed fentanyl. 

Booth added that the appearance of other drugs in the illegal opioid supply also marked the beginning of a worrying trend.

B次元官网网址淲e test over 9,000 samples in a year and we saw a big shift where benzos came onto the market,B次元官网网址� said Booth. B次元官网网址淚n 2019 we were seeing it less than 5 per cent of the time, whereas now we're seeing it above 65 per cent of the time.B次元官网网址�

Created in Europe in the late 1950s as a surgical anesthetic, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Emerging in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 drug supply as early as 2009, overdose deaths related to this new opioid increased dramatically. 

By 2016, fentanyl was being found in 42 per cent of toxicology tests following an overdose. In 2023, fentanyl or a fentanyl analog was present in 85 per cent of those tests.

B次元官网网址淎t the beginning of 2019, the heroin contained fentanyl, whereas in 2020 it switched, where fentanyl rarely contains heroin,B次元官网网址� said Booth. 

The number of lives lost from the toxic drug crisis was so significant that in 2021, it led to a of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 First Nations. 

A total of 49,105 apparent opioid toxicity deaths were reported between January 2016 and June 2024 in the country. 

Current estimations from the Public Health Agency of Canada suggest that overdose deaths may remain high or decrease through June 2025, but not to levels seen before 2020.

The speaker series will continue with events on Feb. 26 and March 26. More details will be provided as these dates draw closer. For more information, visit .