After a month in which no one died of toxic drugs in the Kootenay-Boundary, seven people lost their lives in June.
According to statistics out today from the BC Coroners Service, there were five deaths in the West Kootenay-Boundary in June and two deaths in the East Kootenay.
Those numbers match the totals for both regions in February. Subsequently no deaths were recorded in the East Kootenay in March, April, or May. There were four deaths in the West Kootenay-Boundary in March and two in April.
Year-to-date there have been seven deaths in East Kootenay and 22 in the West Kootenay-Boundary.
Per capita, the East Kootenay has the third-lowest rate this year among BC’s health regions while the West Kootenay-Boundary has the third-highest rate.
Semi-annual community-by-community totals were also released, which revealed the most deaths in the first six months of 2026 occurred in Trail, with nine, followed by Nelson and Cranbrook with six each. There have also been three deaths in each of Castlegar and Grand Forks, and one apiece in Windermere and Arrow Lakes. No drug-related deaths have been recorded in Fernie, Kimberley, Creston, Golden, Kootenay Lake, or Kettle Valley.
Province-wide, there were 138 drug-related deaths in June, which was up from 110 in May. The latter was the lowest total since February 2020.
