Overdose calls plummet more than 40% in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, as drug deaths fall across B.C.

published on December 1, 2025 by Patrick Penner in Tri-Cities Dispatch

Emergency responders in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam are reporting a steep decline in overdose-related calls this year – a shift that mirrors a broader drop in toxic drug deaths across British Columbia and beyond.

Coquitlam Fire Rescue says overdose calls between January and November fell 40.8 percent compared to the same period last year, dropping from 446 incidents to 264. Port Coquitlam Fire and Emergency Services recorded a similar decline, with calls down 40 percent over the same period, from 170 to 102.

Deputy Chief Blake Clarkson told Port Coquitlam council last month the department cannot explain the sudden drop.

“We can’t take credit for that one, but it is a positive sign that those calls are down,” he said.

Port Moody is not seeing the same shift. Fire Chief Darcey O’Riordan said his crews are on track to respond to roughly the same number of overdoses as last year, with 46 incidents reported so far compared to 51 in all of 2024…