No new deaths in area due to toxic drug supply

The B.C. Coroner’s Office latest drug toxicity report shows for the second consecutive month, there were no new fatalities reported in the Merritt area.

The report for February, released Wednesday (April 15) , showed that 115 deaths were recorded in the province, downed from the 150 deaths in January.

In 2025, 1833 deaths were recorded in the province, the lowest tally since 2020. Merritt recorded 6 deaths in 2025.

Of those who have have died from the toxic drug supply, the report showed 78 per cent were male and 69 per cent were between the ages of 30-59.

The report was issued a day after the province marked 10 years since declaring a public health emergency on April 14, 2016. Over the ten year span, more than 18-thousand British Columbian have died due to illicit drugs.