Northwest B.C. unregulated drug deaths up through March

Three people died in March across northwest B.C. from unregulated drugs, up compared to a month prior.

That’s according to the B.C. Coroners Service, adding the region had the second highest drug death rate per 100,000 people in Northern Health at 4.0.

In February, the region recorded one death with the death rate being 1.3 per 100,000 people.

March was also up year over year with two deaths recorded in 2025 and a death rate of 2.6.

So far this year, the northwest region has recorded six unregulated drug deaths and has the lowest death rate of the three Northern Health regions at 32.1.

Through march, the health authority recorded 11 deaths and had a death rate of 3.8 per 100,000 people.

That puts it as the lowest number of deaths provincially but the highest death rate among health authorities.

B.C. recorded 135 deaths through March which equaled about 4.4 deaths per day.

Of those, 78 per cent were male and 68 per cent were between the aged 30 to 59.

Smoking remained the most common mode of consumption at 73 per cent, followed by nasal insufflation, oral, and injection.

A full summary can be found here.