SURREY, B.C. -
Surrey is the second-deadliest city in British Columbia for unregulated drug toxicity in 2026, with 82 deaths recorded so far this year, according to new preliminary figures from the BC Coroners Service. Only Vancouver, with 237 deaths, recorded more.
The coroners service reported 113 deaths in July and 126 in August due to unregulated drug toxicity across the province. Males accounted for 76 per cent of deaths so far in 2026, and people between the ages of 30 and 59 accounted for 69 per cent. Just over half of the deaths, 51 per cent, occurred in private residences, compared with 19 per cent outdoors.
Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health each recorded 68 deaths in July and August, the highest of any health authorities in the province, together accounting for 54 per cent of all such deaths in 2026. Northern Health has the highest rate of unregulated drug deaths this year at 43 per 100,000 people, followed by Island Health at 34 per 100,000.
Fluorofentanyl has become the most common substance detected in expedited toxicological testing, found in 68 per cent of unregulated drug deaths in 2026. Cocaine was detected in 56 per cent, methamphetamine in 53 per cent, fentanyl in 50 per cent and desalkylgidazepam in 21 per cent. Smoking was the most common mode of consumption among decedents, at 65 per cent in July and 67 per cent in August. The coroners service cautions that the data is preliminary and subject to change as toxicological results are received and investigations conclude.
(Source: BC Coroners Service information bulletin, October 14, 2026)
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