The 2022 year saw a new record for drug toxicity and suspected drug toxicity deaths in the province.
The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service is estimating there were 421 confirmed and suspected deaths in 2022, an increase on the 410 in 2021 and over two times the 179 that were recorded in 2019.
Regina and Saskatoon had the vast majority of the confirmed deaths – a total of 130 of the 204 confirmed. No other centre in the province had more that five deaths.
There were 109 of these deaths reported in 2016 … making 2022 a nearly four times increase in the last six years.