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First Nations overdose deaths in B.C. drop in 2025, but still disproportionally high
First Nations people still died at 5.4 times the rate of other B.C. residents, and stimulants were found in 83% of deaths.
- On Wednesday, the First Nations Health Authority reported that overdose deaths among First Nations people in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025, though the population remains disproportionately impacted by the ongoing toxic drug crisis.
- Approximately 15.8 per cent of all toxic drug deaths in 2025 involved First Nations members, who died at 5.4 times the rate of other British Columbia residents, data released just after the province marked 10 years since declaring a public health emergency.
- Nel Wieman, chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, warned that "politicization" and "vilification" of substance users threaten progress, as backlash against harm reduction measures hits First Nations communities the hardest.
- Figures from the Coroners Service show 115 residents died from unregulated drug toxicity in February, down from 150 in January, with stimulants detected in 83 per cent of cases.
- Wieman cited the inaccessibility of substance-use services in communities closer to home, the lack of long-term, flexible funding, and the lethal, ever-changing unregulated drug supply as major drivers of ongoing poisonings for First Nations.
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The Toronto Star+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
First Nations overdose deaths in B.C. drop in 2025, but still disproportionally high
VANCOUVER - The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025 but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the
·Toronto, Canada
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First Nations overdose deaths in B.C. drop in 2025, but still disproportionally high – Energeticcity.ca
VANCOUVER — The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025 but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the province’s toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 18,000 people in the last decade. Dr. Nel Wieman, the chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said Wednesday that emergency has been used for political gain by some, putting progress at ris…
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left9Leaning Right0Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution90% Left
Bias Distribution
- 90% of the sources lean Left
90% Left
L 90%
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