Fatal Fentanyl Overdoses on the Decline: Provincial Data

Fentanyl-related deaths have dipped in three of Canada’s largest cities this year, falling below 2023 and 2022 levels.
Data from Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto says the number of deaths linked to the opioid and other similar drugs have fallen below those of previous years.
The analysis of wastewater found use of the highly potent opioid to be lower from mid-February through mid-October last year in both Vancouver and Toronto, the Canadian cities with the highest use of the drug. In Edmonton, 2023 usage didn’t fall below 2022 levels until mid-March, but stayed lower for the remainder of the year.
The Canadian Wastewater Survey measured fentanyl use in the three cities as well as Montreal, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Halifax throughout 2022 and 2023.
The analysis provides estimates of the drug’s use within each city by testing for norfentanyl, a compound found in the urine of fentanyl users, StatCan said.
While wastewater data showed that levels of norfentanyl were four to five times higher in Vancouver compared with other participating cities, the levels were still substantially lower for much of 2023 compared to the year prior. Norfentanyl levels rose again in the fall of 2023, but remained either at or below those seen in late 2022, the data showed.
Toronto and Edmonton had higher levels of norfentanyl in 2022 than other participating cities, with the exception of Vancouver, StatCan said. But, like Vancouver, 2023 data for Toronto and Edmonton showed levels for most months were at or below those seen in 2022.
Even with the slight decrease in use in recent years, the drug has been identified as a key player in Canadian overdose deaths since 2019 by health and addiction experts alike.
Federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks has blamed the rise in overdoses on a growing supply of drugs and the prevalence of fentanyl.
“No community has been left untouched. The tragic impacts are seen and felt among our friends, our families, and our neighbours,” she said.