SURREY, B.C. - A major health authority in British Columbia's Lower Mainland issued a warning Friday about illicit drugs after an increase in suspected overdose deaths in the past week.
Fraser Health says preliminary data from the provincial coroner shows the region has seen 17 suspected illicit drug overdose deaths during that time in communities from Surrey to Hope.
Most of the deaths happened in private homes, followed by hotels and motels.
British Columbia is in the grip of a public health emergency because of the number of overdose deaths.
Last year, 967 people died of an opioid-related overdose and the province is on track for more than 1,500 such deaths in 2017.
Fraser Health says it had already taken steps to respond to “the hidden epidemic of overdoses in residences” in the communities it covers.
