Courtenay, B.C. sees 127% increase in overdoses in 2021
The number of overdoses recorded in B.C. rose by nearly a third last year compared to 2020, and communities on Vancouver Island were not spared the increase.
According to B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), paramedics responded to 35,525 overdoses in 2021, up roughly 31 per cent compared to 2020.
The Island Health region rose about 32 per cent in 2021, with 5,917 overdose calls received, compared to 4,466 reported in 2020, according to the BCEHS.
On Vancouver Island, the City of Courtenay saw one of the largest year-over-year increases in the province.
The BCEHS responded to 467 overdose calls in Courtenay last year, up a staggering 127 per cent compared to the 206 calls reported in 2020.
Campbell River also saw a significant rise in overdose calls to paramedics, with a 62 per cent increase. BCEHS says 403 calls were received in the city in 2021, up from 249 in 2020.
Last year, Victoria saw a 24 per cent increase in calls, with 1,952 potential overdoses reported, up from 1,569 in 2020.
In the Mid-Island, Nanaimo saw a 34 per cent increase, with 891 overdose calls to paramedics, up from 664 in 2020.
One of the few decreases in overdose calls in the province was recorded in Ladysmith, where 33 calls were reported last year, down from 39 in 2020, marking a 15 per cent decrease.
"Almost every community in B.C. had more overdose patients in 2021 than the previous year," said the BCEHS in a release Wednesday.
Every day in 2021, nearly 100 overdoses were reported in British Columbia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Online diary: Buffalo gunman plotted attack for months
The white gunman accused of massacring 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack on African Americans.
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre denounces 'white replacement theory'
Pierre Poilievre is denouncing the 'white replacement theory' believed to be a motive for a mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., as 'ugly and disgusting hate-mongering.'
Ontario driver who killed woman and three daughters sentenced to 17 years in prison
A driver who struck and killed a woman and her three young daughters nearly two years ago 'gambled with other people's lives' when he took the wheel, an Ontario judge said Monday in sentencing him to 17 years behind bars.
Half of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 still experiencing at least one symptom two years later: study
Half of those hospitalized with COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic are still experiencing at least one symptom two years later, a new study suggests.
What we know so far about the victims of the Buffalo mass shooting
A former police officer, the 86-year-old mother of Buffalo's former fire commissioner, and a grandmother who fed the needy for decades were among those killed in a racist attack by a gunman on Saturday in a Buffalo grocery store. Three people were also wounded.
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
Documents show a pattern of human rights abuses against gender diverse prisoners
Facing daily instances of violence and abuse, gender diverse people in the Canadian prison system say they are forced to take measures into their own hands to secure their safety.
White 'replacement theory' fuels racist attacks
A racist ideology seeping from the internet's fringes into the mainstream is being investigated as a motivating factor in the supermarket shooting that killed 10 people in Buffalo, New York. Most of the victims were Black.
Amber Heard says she feared she would not survive Johnny Depp marriage
'Aquaman' actor Amber Heard told jurors in a defamation case on Monday that she filed for divorce from Johnny Depp in 2016 because she worried she would not survive physical abuse by him.
Vancouver
-
Vancouver child's 'empty' birthday party sparks conversation about inclusion
A Vancouver dad whose son is on the autism spectrum took to social media to share how painful it was to see only one classmate come to his sixth birthday party, and is receiving a flood of support that he hopes marks the beginning of an important conversation about inclusion.
-
Metro Vancouver fresh food bank sees 10-fold surge in demand during pandemic
A Metro Vancouver food bank program that provides fresh groceries to people in need is serving 10 times more families than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
B.C. Spotted Owl breeding program welcomes new chick
For now, you can just call her Chick D-22. She’s a rare Northern Spotted Owl being raised by foster parents Bella and Jay in B.C.
Edmonton
-
Alta. man pleads guilty to 1st-degree murder in deaths of woman, toddler
The Alberta man accused of first-degree murder in the deaths of a 24-year-old woman and her 16-month-old child is due in court on Monday.
-
Alberta allows online driver's licence and ID card renewals
Starting Tuesday, eligible Albertans will be able to renew their driver's licences and identification cards online using the province's eServices platform.
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
Toronto
-
Ontario party leaders face off during 2022 election debate
The leaders of Ontario's four major political parties took the stage for a live televised debate in Toronto on Monday night.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
-
Ontario party leaders attack Ford on health, education in election debate
Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford faced a barrage of attacks from the other three major party leaders in the Ontario election debate Monday.
Calgary
-
Warrant issued for suspect in crash that killed Calgary mother of 5
Calgary police said in a statement issued Monday they have identified a suspect wanted in an incident that resulted in the death of a Calgary mother of five.
-
'Great for all of Alberta': Flames, Oilers prepare for battle in second round
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk weren't even born the last time the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they still understand how much the Battle of Alberta means to fans of both teams.
-
Battle of Alberta: Calgary's Whiskey Rose Saloon gears up for spike in business
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce says each playoff game in the city brings in about $3 million in revenue.
Montreal
-
Quebec English-speakers have higher unemployment, lower income than French-speakers: study
Who are Quebec's English-speakers in 2022, anyway? A new study shows they're unusually young, extremely ethnically diverse, and are struggling in the workforce, with higher unemployment and lower income than French-speakers.
-
Quebec coroner calls for independence in public health director role in final report on long-term care home deaths
The government of Quebec needs to ensure the role of the public health director is independent and without any 'political constraint,' a Quebec coroner has recommended in a final report into deaths at long-term care homes during the pandemic's first wave.
-
Apartment hunting: What can you get for $1,450 in Montreal?
As moving season approaches, the ongoing housing crisis is on the minds of many Montrealers seeking a new place to live.
Atlantic
-
'Absolutely disgusting': Team leader critical of RCMP mental health support after N.S. shooting
The RCMP's treatment of their tactical team in the days following the April 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was characterized as "absolutely disgusting" Monday during testimony before the public inquiry examining the killings.
-
Mother of Chantel Moore tells inquest about night N.B. police shot her daughter
The mother of an Indigenous woman shot by New Brunswick police in 2020 told a coroner's inquest Monday that less than two hours after she was awakened by an officer seeking her daughter's address to check on her safety, police returned with news that her daughter had been killed.
-
Closure concerns: Glace Bay ER closed for nearly two years due to staffing shortages
The emergency department at the Glace Bay Hospital has been closed since July of 2021, and it’s unclear when it will reopen.
Winnipeg
-
Foundation repair companies slammed with calls after flooding
With the heavy rain Winnipeg has received, many homeowners are finding cracks in their foundations undetected during the previous two years of drought.
-
Beavers taking a toll on this Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy
Some busy beavers have been taking a toll on a Winnipeg neighbourhood's tree canopy, prompting a group of residents to work with the city to save the trees.
-
Schools shift to remote learning amid flooding in Minnedosa
Two schools in Minnedosa will be shifting to remote learning this week as flooding has made the schools inaccessible for students and parents.
Kitchener
-
Police searching for man after child's suspicious death in Cambridge
The Waterloo Regional Police Service has released the name of a man they say could have information on the suspicious death of an eight-year-old boy in Cambridge.
-
Police seek driver in hit and run collision involving cyclist
Police are at the scene of a crash on Westmount Dr. in Kitchener. CTV News cameras saw a bicycle with a bent wheel at the scene.
-
Kitchener Rangers reflect on rollercoaster season
The Kitchener Rangers' playoff run came to end over the weekend and the team is reflecting on their up-and-down OHL season.
Regina
-
Regina's mayor met with PM Trudeau in Ottawa Monday
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Monday to discuss a number of topics including ongoing infrastructure projects and social initiatives.
-
Sask. doctor says he lost sleep over decision to take Ontario job
Saskatoon intensive care physician Dr. Hassan Masri says he has taken a leadership role in Ontario.
-
Pressure mounts as CFL enters second day of work stoppage
The wind blowing against the uprights was the only action at Griffths Field in Saskatoon Monday morning as the league enters day two of the work stoppage.
Barrie
-
Paul Sadlon, 89, stands trial accused of sexual assault
Barrie businessman Paul Sadlon, 89, walked alongside his lawyer into a courtroom to stand trial on Monday, accused of sexually assaulting a woman following a business meeting nearly three years ago.
-
Truck rollover on Highway 400 in York Region caused major delays
A truck rollover on Highway 400 south of Newmarket is causing major delays Monday, according to provincial police.
-
Lasting fatigue a symptom of long COVID, expert says
Many people who contracted COVID-19 during the sixth wave complained of lasting symptoms, sometimes known as long COVID, which Dr. Sohail Gandhi said can result in low energy or extreme fatigue.
Saskatoon
-
Rising fuel costs a challenge in search for missing Sask. boy
The rising cost of fuel is complicating the nearly month-long search for a missing Saskatchewan boy continues.
-
Sask. doctor says he lost sleep over decision to take Ontario job
Saskatoon intensive care physician Dr. Hassan Masri says he has taken a leadership role in Ontario.
-
Where most police street checks happen in Saskatoon
Saskatoon Police Service says all of the 189 contact interviews conducted by its officers last year complied with policy.
Northern Ontario
-
Northern Ont. union worried members were exposed to cell-destroying substances
Mine Mill Unifor Local 598 says staff at some of the area's long-term care facilities and nursing homes may have been exposed to cytotoxins.
-
Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
-
Ontario party leaders face off during 2022 election debate
The leaders of Ontario's four major political parties took the stage for a live televised debate in Toronto on Monday night.