WATCH LIVE: BC Coroners Service releases number of drug overdose deaths for 2017

Numbers released by the B.C. Coroners Service highlight the devastating effects of the overdose crisis in the province.

There were 1,422 overdose deaths in 2017, a 43 per cent increase compared to 2016, which saw 914 deaths. Last year was the deadliest for overdose deaths in the province’s history.

From January through July 2017, fentanyl was found in four of every five illicit drug overdose deaths. More specifically, 706 of the 876 drug deaths involved fentanyl; which is a 143 per cent increase over the same seven-month period in 2016.

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Last year, the B.C. NDP created the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions aimed at tackling the province’s opioid crisis.

The NDP also committed $322 million over a three-year period to fight the opioid crisis. The federal government also assured $10 million for B.C. due to the alarming numbers.