Drug overdose deaths in Manitoba surge by 87% in 2020

published on April 20, 2021 by Jill Coubrough in CBC News

On average, at least one person died per day of a drug overdose in Manitoba last year, according to new figures obtained by CBC News.

Between January and December 2020, 372 people lost their lives to overdoses in the province, which exceeds all of 2019 by 87 per cent, according to preliminary data from Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The majority of drug-related deaths, 254, were linked to opioids — including fentanyl.

“I think it’s devastating,” said Thomas Kerr, a senior scientist with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use.

Kerr, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, said the stark figures are sadly not surprising…