Three unregulated drug deaths in Coquitlam so far this year: coroners report

Unregulated drug deaths fell sharply in Coquitlam over the first five months of 2025, mirroring a provincial trend, according to a recent report from B.C. Coroners Service.

Coroners reported three unregulated drug deaths in Coquitlam over the first five months of 2026. Over the past four years, unregulated drug deaths have ranged between 22 and 36 per year.

The death rate per 100,000 people also fell in the Tri-Cities, dropping from 25.6 in 2021 to 11.5 in 2025, marking four consecutive years of decline.

A total of 66 people died due to unregulated drugs in the Tri-Cities in 2021, compared to 33 in 2025.

The drop in overdose deaths seems to match the experience of emergency responders.

Coquitlam Fire Rescue and Port Coquitlam Fire and Emergency Services each reported an approximately 40 percent drop in overdose calls in 2025 compared to 2024.

Out of the 630 deaths in 2026, fentanyl has been detected in 479 cases, approximately 76 percent. In 2021, fentanyl was found in 86.7 percent of unregulated drug deaths.

Speaking to the Dispatch in 2025, Dr. Kora DeBeck said changes in the drug supply were the most likely explanation for the drop in overdose deaths.

Beck, a professor at SFU’s School of Public Policy and a scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use, said it’s difficult to tell what caused the change in the illicit drug supply.

“As long as we’re not intervening with the supply of drugs, we really have no control over it,” she said.

Across the province, B.C. Coroners Service recorded approximately 3.5 deaths per day in May.

Over the first five months of 2026, fluorofentanyl was detected in 67 percent of deaths, with cocaine and fentanyl in 55 percent. Hydromorphone was found in five percent of drug deaths.

Approximately 76 percent of deaths were male, with the majority between the ages of 30 and 59.

The percentage of drug deaths among younger British Columbians has declined in recent years.

In 2018, people between the ages of 20 and 29 represented 19 percent of unregulated drug deaths. That percentage dropped to 12 percent in 2025 and to 10 percent over the first five months of 2026.

Over that same period, the percentage of deaths among older people has increased. In 2019, British Columbians 60 or older represented nine percent of unregulated drug deaths. So far in 2026, adults 60 or older have represented 21 percent of unregulated drug deaths.

Drug deaths in the Fraser Health region have fallen over the past five years. In 2021, there were 40 deaths per 100,000 people in the region. In the first five months of 2026, the regional death rate has fallen to 18 per 100,000.