Overdose deaths on the rise across the country: Statistics Canada

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The rise in the mortality rate in Canada between 2015 and 2017 was higher than the rise during the first 15 years of the millennium, according to new data from Statistics Canada.

It says the opioid crisis has played a role in this increase.

According to Statistics Canada, drug overdose deaths have gone up in almost every age group since 2000, but notes the largest spike was in 2015.

While the number of accidental overdose deaths have increased across the country since 2000,some provinces and territories have been harder hit. British Columbia, which has been hard-hit by the opioid crisis, tops the list, followed by Alberta and Ontario.

Related article: Overdoses down in B.C., but toxic, powerful drug is more common: coroner

Quebec saw the smallest share of accidental overdose deaths.

The rate of accidental overdose deaths in B.C. has doubled since 2015, and more than tripled in neighbouring Alberta.

Statistics Canada has found that people between 30 and 39 are the most likely to die from a drug overdose compared with any other age group. It says more men die from overdoses than women do, and notes that accidental drug overdose deaths are “increasing at a faster rate” for men than women.

Related article: B.C. overdose prevention sites should be template for others: report

B.C. declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency in April of 2016.

In 2018, there were close to 1,500 deaths from illicit drug overdoses, which represented more than deaths from suicide, homicide, and motor vehicles combined.

Other causes of death

According to the most recent data shared by Statistics Canada, cancer and heart disease remained the first- and second-leading causes of death in 2017 at 48 per cent.

The number of related deaths was lower that year than in 2000, when these causes were responsible for more than half of all deaths nation-wide at 54 per cent.

Statistics Canada says the decrease is due to fewer deaths related to heart disease. The number of deaths cause by cancer “remained stable,” it adds.

Related article: Vancouver’s fire chief not impressed with feds’ response to opioid crisis

Accidents represented the third-leading cause of death in Canada in 2017. Unintentional injuries displaced strokes, and accounted for five per cent of overall deaths.

Meantime, the agency notes that accidental deaths are on the rise, with the number of deaths rising from 8,589 in 2000 to 13,894 in 2017.

Accidental deaths include deaths in transportation incidents, shootings, drownings, and exposure to smoke or fire.

Poisonings are also considered accidental deaths, of which 94 per cent were represented by drug overdoses.

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