Four opioid-related deaths in November and December 2021 pushed the yearly total to 42, the highest recorded number in Grande Prairie since opioid-related data collection began in 2016.
Overall, the city had a fatal opioid poisoning rate of 52.45 per 100,000 person-years, a jump from 46.4 in all of 2020 when there were 31 deaths reported.
Of the opioid-related deaths, 40 were from non-pharmaceutical opioids, while two were linked to pharmaceutical opioids. Non-pharmaceutical opioids are considered to be fentanyl and its related drugs, as well as heroin, while pharmaceuticals are typically prescribed opioids like codeine, hydromorphone, and methadone.
Since the start of opioid data collection in 2016, 128 people in Grande Prairie have died from accidental opioid poisoning.