(Dreamstime)

By David Opinko / with files from The Canadian Press

Alberta and Lethbridge record deadliest year for drug overdoses in 2021

Mar 18, 2022 | 11:15 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Alberta, the South Zone, and Lethbridge all recorded their deadliest year on record for drug overdoses in 2021.

The province released data late Thursday, showing that 176 people died in both November and December, bringing the yearly total to 1,758.

Not only did both months hit grim milestones for the highest single-month totals ever, but they capped off the worst year since Alberta began collecting data in 2016.

Lethbridge had the highest rate of drug poisoning deaths in those final two months, more than doubling the provincial average.

November and December 2021 saw nine and eight people in Lethbridge die from drug overdoses respectively, bringing the city’s total for the year to 67.

Week-in-review: Municipal election changes, a leadership debate and green bins

Apr 27, 2024

What's Happening in Lethbridge this weekend: April 26, 2024

Apr 26, 2024

Week-in-review: Federal Budget, water agreements and success for tourism industry

Apr 20, 2024

The two-month total is a 33 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2020.

Lethbridge saw 48 drug overdose deaths in 2020, which, at the time, was the most on record.

It was a similar situation for the South Zone as a whole, with a total of 155 drug overdose deaths last year. The year ended with 19 fatalities in November and 13 in December.

Last year, there were 281 visits to emergency departments in the South Zone.

Lethbridge’s Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) was visited 14,122 times in the fourth quarter of 2021, resulting in 212 adverse events.

Attendance at the OPS is far lower than the former Supervised Consumption Site, which in its last year-and-a-half of operation, was visited more than 50,000 times per quarter.

Provincially, men between the ages of 30 and 39 continue to be the most heavily impacted by overdoses.

Use the following link to see the full Alberta Substance Use Surveillance Report.