A clearer picture is emerging of those who die from opioid overdose in the City of Surrey, thanks to a new report compiled by the City of Surrey and Statistics Canada.
The findings, part of a pilot project launched last year, are aimed at better understanding and helping those at the heart of the growing opioid crisis.
According to the report, 21 per cent of those who died from opioid overdose in Surrey ended up in hospital for substance-use related disorders at some point in the year before their deaths, and 22 per cent were there as a result of opioid poisoning.
Eighty-one per cent of those who died of an opioid overdose in Surrey were men.
The majority were between the ages of 25 and 34, and most worked in construction followed by building maintenance, waste management and other support services.
In the two years prior to their deaths, 64 per cent of those who died by overdose had no contact with police. The majority of those who did have run-ins with the police were found to be shoplifting.
In the five years prior to their deaths, 28 per cent were receiving social assistance benefits.