(Canadian Press)

By Sheldon Spackman

More Than Double

Red Deer sees big jump in drug poisoning deaths in 2020

Mar 23, 2021 | 4:11 PM

Data released by the Alberta government on Tuesday shows the number of drug poisoning deaths in Red Deer last year more than doubled from 2019.

The latest update of the Alberta substance use surveillance system shows 56 drug poisoning deaths occurred in Red Deer in 2020 (50.7 per 100,000 persons). That compares with 24 drug poisoning deaths (22.6 per 100,000 persons) in 2019.

Those numbers are slightly lower than 2018 when there were 60 drug poisonings deaths in Red Deer (56.6 per 100,000 persons).

Lethbridge, by comparison, recorded 52 drug poisoning deaths in 2020, with a rate of 52.5 per 100,000 persons – the highest rate in the province.

The lowest rate was reported in Fort McMurray, which saw 15 drug poisoning deaths last year for a rate of 18.9 per 100,000 persons.

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Of the 56 drug poisonings deaths in Red Deer last year, the third-highest number in the province, 44 were from non-pharmaceutical opioids such as fentanyl, heroin or designer opiates.

In the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Central Zone, there were 128 drug poisoning deaths reported last year, a rate of 26.4 per 100,000 persons, including 99 related to non-pharmaceutical opioids.

By comparison, AHS South Zone had the highest rate of drug poisoning deaths in 2020, with a rate of 32.8 per 100,000 persons. North Zone had the lowest rate with 21.5 per 100,000.

Province-wide, Alberta saw 1,281 drug poisoning deaths last year, with a rate of 28.7 per 100,000 persons. Opioids made up 1,128 of those fatalities, with non-pharmaceutical opioids accounting for 1,053.