If January is any indication, Victoria and Nanaimo are on pace to eclipse the number of illicit drug overdose deaths from last year by far.
Out of 116 overdose deaths in the province last month, seven drug users died in Victoria while four died in Nanaimo, according to new numbers from the BC Coroners Service.
Even though fatal overdoses dropped 18 per cent from December to January province-wide, 116 deaths is still the third-highest total on record.
If that trend continues throughout the year, both Victoria and Nanaimo could shatter the grim records for overdose deaths they set last year at 66 and 28, respectively.
According to the report, 18 people on Vancouver Island died from drug overdoses in all.
The new numbers come on the same day Ottawa announced an immediate $10-million boost for B.C.’s emergency response to fight the opioid epidemic.
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott also announced a total of $65-million to fight the spread of fentanyl across the country.
The federal government has taken a more progressive approach to fighting opioid-related death in recent months.
In December, it announced it would reinstate harm reduction as a core pillar of federal drug policy, and has also moved to make it easier for cities to apply for supervised consumption sites.
In Victoria, the crisis has shown no signs of slowing.
Our Place Society, which operates a temporary supervised drug consumption site equipped with life-saving Narcan kits, said the pop-up site saw nearly 1,800 users in January.
While 26 people overdosed in the modified shipping container last month, none died, according to Our Place.
