Nearly 1,700 Albertans died from drug-poisoning in 2023: Alberta Health
According to the latest data released by the province, 149 Albertans died from drug-poisoning deaths in October 2023, bringing the year’s total to 1,692.
When comparing only the first 10 months of the year, 2023 has a higher number of deaths than any other year.
According to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System (ASUSS) with 1,692 deaths so far, 2023 has fewer total deaths than both 2022, and 2021, however data for November and December of last year has not yet been released by the province.
Of the 149 newly reported deaths, 144, or 97 per cent involved opioids. All but 127 of the 1,692 drug-poisoning deaths reported in Alberta during 2023 did not involve opioids.
Based on reports done on more than 800 people who died of accidental drug-poisoning last year, Fentanyl was present in 79 per cent of deaths, Methamphetamine in 63 per cent and Carfentanil in 23 percent.
The age group with the highest number of drug-poisonings in 2023 were between the ages of 35 to 39 years of age. Sixty-nine per cent of those were male.
From a geographical standpoint, 58 of October's 149 deaths were in Edmonton, 44 were in Calgary and the other 47 occurred elsewhere in the province.
Of the more than 1,600 drug-poisoning deaths reported in 2023 thus far, 36 per cent have occurred in Edmonton, and 33 percent in Calgary.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.