Despite a downward trend from the first quarter of 2019, Grande Prairie continues to have the highest number of opioid-related deaths per-capita in Alberta.
The city has seen 19 opioid-related deaths since the turn of 2019, but the per capita numbers have dropped to a rate of 51 people per 100,000 between July-September, down from 59 per 100,000 between January and June.
Even with the drop, Grande Prairie remains twice as high as the next closest city, as Lethbridge has a rate of 22 per 100,000.
The city closest to Grande Prairie in size and geographic location, Fort McMurray, has seen 5 overdose deaths in 2019.
Since Alberta Health started maintaining records, the rate of opioid-related overdose deaths in Grande Prairie has nearly tripled in just three years.
The latest numbers were part of a quarterly update released by Alberta Health.