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Prince George paramedics respond to record-high 1,466 drug overdose calls in 2022

Prince George paramedics saw a 12% year-over-year spike in drug overdose and poisoning calls.

According to data released by BC Emergency Health Services, local medics responded to these calls 1,466 times last year – they only went 1,307 in 2021.

In addition, the northern capital had the sixth-highest call volume among BC cities trailing Vancouver (7,827), Surrey (2,864), Victoria (2,037), Kelowna (1,824), and Abbotsford (1,641).

Like some cities in BC, overdose and drug poisoning calls have seen a steady climb since a public health emergency was called by the provincial government in 2016.

The yearly breakdown for PG looks like this:

  • 2016 – 362
  • 2017 – 461
  • 2018 – 594
  • 2019 – 626
  • 2020 – 999
  • 2021 – 1,307
  • 2022 – 1,466

Furthermore, Northern Health saw a 17% spike in overdose calls in 2022 – the largest year-over-year increase among all the health authorities in BC.

The next closest was Interior Health with a 9% increase.

Similar to Prince George, Northern Health has seen an even sharper trajectory in the volume of overdose events attended.

  • 2016 – 913
  • 2017- 1,085
  • 2018 – 1,232
  • 2019 – 1,332
  • 2020 – 2,077
  • 2021 – 2,414
  • 2022 – 2,838

Province-wide, paramedics responded to 33,654 overdose events last year – that equates to an average of 92 calls per day.

The average monthly calls are over 2,800 per month.

On January 19th, 2022, BC set a new daily record for receiving 203 overdose/poisoning calls.

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Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Brendan Pawliw
Brendan Pawliw
Since moving to Prince George in 2015, Brendan has covered local sports including the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, Prince George Spruce Kings, UNBC Timberwolves, Cariboo Cougars AAA, and Northern Capitals U18 female hockey teams. Career highlights include play-by-play during the Spruce Kings' BCHL championship runs in 2018 and 2019, including the Doyle Cup win. He also covered the 2019 National Junior A Championship, the 2017 Telus Cup, the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship, and the 2022 BC Summer Games. Brendan is the news voice on 94.3 The Goat and Country 97 FM, reporting on crime, real estate, labour, and environmental issues. Outside of work, he officiates box lacrosse and fastball, sits on the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame board, and co-hosts the Hockey North podcast.

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