One overdose death reported in northeastern B.C. in January

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — One person passed away from a drug overdose in the northeast in January, according to the latest BC Coroners Service report.

That’s a decline from the two deaths reported in the region in December and significantly lower than the five deaths reported in September of 2024, the month with the most overdose deaths in the northeast that year.

The report states 152 people reportedly passed away as a result of overdoses of unregulated drugs in January across the province.

That’s a slight increase from the 149 deaths reported in December of 2024, but a sharp decline from the 219 deaths reported last January.

Northern Health’s coverage area saw a total of eight deaths in the first month of 2025, including the one in the northeast.

That means the health authority is reporting an overdose death rate of 32 per 100,000 people, the second highest in the province behind the 40 deaths per 100,000 people reported by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

In terms of raw numbers, the Fraser Health Authority reported 57 deaths in January, the most of any health authority in the province, followed by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority with 45. Northern Health reported the fewest deaths in the same time frame.

Fentanyl was reportedly detected in five of the eight overdose deaths in Northern Health’s coverage area.

The two townships reporting the most deaths in January are Vancouver, with 40 deaths, and Surrey, with 24.

Across the province, 68 per cent of the people who passed away from an overdose in January were reportedly between 30 and 59 years old. Seventy-nine per cent of those who died were male.

To view the full report, click here.