New national data on Canada's opioid crisis says the number of deaths from opioids declined 17 per cent last year.
There were 7,146 opioid-related deaths in 2024, 5,514 hospitalizations, 36,266 emergency medical service responses, and 24,587 emergency department visits.
That means 20 people, on average, die every day from opioid overdoses.
The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health and the Chief Coroners and Chief Medical Examiners say despite the drop, the number of deaths remains high.
Deaths were down in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Deaths were up in Quebec, Newfoundland-Labrador, and the Northwest Territories. Indigenous communities also reported an increase, especially among Indigenous women.
"Some provincial and territorial public health partners note that the decrease in deaths may be attributable to a shift to lower toxicity in the drug supply," said the statement from the public health units, coroners, and medical examiners. "Some regions reported a rise in deaths involving substances other than opioids."
Since 2016, work has been underway across Canada to build a national surveillance system to characterize the magnitude of drug toxicity and its impact on communities. Collecting that data is crucial to help officials understand the evolving nature of the crisis.
