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July and August drug deaths in B.C. fall to lowest levels since 2019
July and August drug deaths fall in B.C.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Toxic drug deaths in British Columbia in July and August have fallen to their lowest levels in those months since before the pandemic.
Data from the BC Coroners Service shows that 113 people died in July, and 126 people in August, with those figures down 50 per cent and 40 per cent from their respective peaks.
Deaths from January to August reached 1,015, down 41 per cent from the same period in 2023 when deaths peaked across the province, and down 18 per cent from last year.
The data shows there were 3.6 unregulated drug deaths per day in July and 4.1 in August, hitting their lowest levels since 2019.
It shows the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities each suffered 68 deaths in July and August combined, the highest number in B.C.
Toxic drug deaths in B.C. have been in steep decline since peaking at 2,591 in 2023, mirroring a phenomenon being experienced across much of North America.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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B.C. election latest: Doerkson vows to separate provincial and municipal campaigns
Latest highlights in B.C.'s election campaign
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The leaders from all three major parties in the British Columbia election campaign are preparing for their only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 24 vote, and have no other public appearances.
Here's a look at some of the latest from the campaign trail.
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DOERKSON PROMISES LEGISLATION TO ELECTIONS
Interim B.C. Conservatives leader Lorne Doerkson is promising legislation to prevent overlapping provincial and municipal election campaigns if elected.
Doerkson says in a message posted on social media that his party would pass legislation to prohibit a provincial election within 60 days of municipal election dates.
The provincial election called by NDP Leader David Eby will take place one week after municipal elections in B.C. on Oct. 17.
The timing of the snap provincial vote has been criticized by Eby's opponents and the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
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CENTREBC UNVEILS HOUSING PLATFORM
CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko says her party would double the BC Builds program to create 20,000 below-market homes by 2031 if elected.
The plan is part of the party's housing platform released Wednesday morning, calling for standardized provincial housing approvals by January 2028.
The party would also boost the annual renters' tax credit to $600.
Neither Sturko nor OneBC interim leader Dallas Brodie are participating in tonight's televised leaders debate.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Officer tells Myles Gray hearing he never used excess force or lost control in arrest
Officer says he never lost control in Gray arrest
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
One of the Vancouver police officers involved in the violent 2015 arrest of Myles Gray that ended with his death says he never used force beyond what was required to control Gray and never lost control of his emotions.
Const. Eric Birzneck testimony at the hearing into Gray's death has featured him discussing a police form he filled out in the aftermath of the incident, telling his lawyer, Greg Cavouras, that he had never been in a more intense struggle in his career.
The hearing that began in January but has been repeatedly delayed is meant to determine if Birzneck or six other officers intentionally or recklessly used unnecessary force in the altercation with Gray.
Birzneck is the first to testify among the officers, all of whom deny wrongdoing in the incident.
He's told the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner hearing in Vancouver that he filled out the "subject behaviour officer response" report to suggest there was no sign Gray would have co-operated with police.
Birzneck, whose testimony began on Tuesday, says he checked boxes on the form to indicate "pre-assault cues" from Gray, including a "thousand-yard stare," clenched fists, non-compliance and spitting.
He also says Gray displayed "incredible strength" and seemed "impervious to pain."
A police disciplinary process previously determined none of the officers committed misconduct, and no charges have been laid over Gray's death, which a 2023 coroner's inquest ruled was a homicide, a term that does not assign legal blame.
The inquest heard that Gray was left with injuries that included a fractured eye socket, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles, while a paramedic told the inquest that Gray's bruising was so severe, he initially thought he was not a white man.
At least three of the other officers involved in Gray's deadly arrest are scheduled to testify, including constables Beau Spencer, Nick Thompson and Josh Wong.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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