Alta. also facing substance use-related health crisis, records worst-ever year for drug overdose deaths in 2021

Provincially, the number of fentanyl deaths roughly doubled almost every year since 2011, when there were only six. Year-end results show 1,758 Albertans died from a drug overdose last year, the most since the province began tracking the issue in 2016 and a 29% increase from 2020. It was determined that 91% of the fatalities were a result of opioid consumption and occurred in the two largest cities of Calgary and Edmonton, with 555 and 666, respectively. Health Canada's data showed that in the first nine months of 2021, there were 5,368 deaths attributed to opioid toxicity. The highest numbers of deaths were recorded in Ont. (2.035), B.C. (1,615) and Alta. (1,099). owever, the age-adjusted rate of deaths based on population was highest in B.C. (41.2/100,000) and Alta. (32.6/100,000). This compares to the national rate of 19.7 per 100,000.
Related:
Méfaits associés aux opioïdes et aux stimulants au Canada - Statistique Canada
Police in Lethbridge and on Blood Tribe will now offer immediate access to addiction treatment upon an individual’s arrest - AHS