The number of fatal drug overdose deaths in Lethbridge continue to fall. (Photo: Steveheap | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge records lowest overdose death total in 10 years

Oct 3, 2025 | 10:50 AM

While any deaths due to drug consumption are too many, at least the numbers are continuing to trend in the right direction.

The Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System has been updated to show numbers up to and including June 2025.

In the month of June, two people died due to drug overdoses in Lethbridge, meaning that a total of six people succumbed to drug use in the first half of this year.

That is tied for the lowest total for the first six months of the year since 2016, when the province started tracking these statistics.

As shown in the graph below, the number of fatal overdoses in Lethbridge increased gradually in almost every year between 2016 and 2021, then rose sharply in the following two years.

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In 2023, the city recorded 79 overdose deaths in just six months. The newest numbers represent a 92 per cent decrease since then.

Drug overdose deaths in Lethbridge for Jan.-June, 2016-2025. The value for 2023 is 79. (Image compiled by LNN. Source: Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System)

What we have been seeing in Lethbridge over the past two years has been reflected in provincial trends as well.

Drug overdose deaths in the first half of the year fell by 38 per cent in that time, declining from 954 in 2023 to 592 in 2025.

Across Alberta, fentanyl was detected in the victims’ bodies 94 per cent of the time, while methamphetamine and carfentanil were present in 66 per cent of cases each.

Over three-quarters (76.7 per cent) of fatal overdose victims were men, and the most common age group was 40-44.

Back in the South Zone, a total of 167 visits to emergency departments related to substance use were made in the second quarter. EMS responded to 17 opioid-related events in Lethbridge during that period.

The Alberta Government provided the following comments to LNN:

“We are encouraged by the drop in opioid-related deaths in Lethbridge and will keep working to reduce overdoses there and across the province.

Lethbridge experienced an 80 per cent decrease in opioid-related deaths in this period – the largest decline of any municipality in the province.

Every life lost to the disease of addiction is one too many, and our deepest sympathies go out to all those who have lost a loved one.

Opioid-related deaths in Alberta fluctuate from month-to-month, but the overall trend in the number of deaths for the first half of 2025 remains slightly downward compared to the first half of 2024.

Recognizing the path to recovery is different for everyone, Alberta’s government in investing in a variety of supports and services to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with addiction.

For the past two years, Lethbridge has been home to a 50-bed recovery community that focuses on helping individuals address their substance use, improve their overall health and build skills to support long-term recovery.

Provincial funding also supports a variety of medical detox, treatment and recovery options in the area. Treatment is available at no cost to individuals and their families.

In addition, a transitional living unit is operating within the Lethbridge Correctional Centre that provides the opportunity for incarcerated individuals to undergo comprehensive and holistic addiction treatment.

Individuals throughout the province can also access addiction treatment medications through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program.

We continue to expand services across the province, including in southern Alberta.

Individuals and their families are encouraged to contact 211 Alberta for information on supports and services.”