Grande Prairie continues to lead the province in fatal opioid overdoses. Out of Alberta’s seven urban centres, the city has the highest rate per 100,000 residents for apparent accidental drug toxicity deaths related to both fentanyl and other opioids.
So far in 2017, there have been 18 deaths involving fentanyl in Grande Prairie, giving it a rate of 31.2. The next highest major city is Red Deer, with a rate of 19.3. In all of 2016, there were 10 fentanyl-related deaths in GP.
From January to the end of September this year, there were also three fatal overdoses on an opioid other than fentanyl. That gives the city a rate of 7.8 deaths per 100,000 residents, up from 2016’s of 1.3.
Alberta overall has seen a 40 per cent increase in accidental drug overdose deaths related to an opioid this year compared to last. On average, 1.8 people die every day in Alberta.
The province is also seeing an increase in deaths involving carfentanil, which is 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Since the start of 2016, the drug was detected in 126 of the 757 fentanyl deaths.