An average of 10 people died from an illicit drug overdose every day in Canada in the two years leading up to March 2018, according to a federal analysis aimed at giving a better picture of those at greatest risk from the burgeoning overdose crisis.
The Statistics Canada study shows those who died ranged from employed people who never had contact with the justice, social assistance or hospital systems to those with little work history and long-term legal and social issues.
The new analysis, released Tuesday, examines the social and economic backgrounds of those who died from drug overdoses in B.C., where the Public Health Agency of Canada says the national overdose crisis is most acute.