While some of us were focusing on whether to call them homeless or unhoused, the reality of being without shelter has been taking a heavy toll on some folks in B.C., including in the Sea to Sky.
A new BC Coroners Service report shows at least 458 people experiencing homelessness died in B.C. in 2023.
That is three times the number of homeless people who died in 2020, when 155 died without a place to call home.
Most who died in 2023 were men (79%) and more than half of the deaths reported in 2023 were people between the ages of 30 and 49.
More than 90% of the deaths in 2023 were deemed “accidental.”
Most of these deaths occurred in winter, 28%, followed by spring at 27%.
Of all the deaths, 394 were from what the coroner called “accidental unregulated drug toxicity.”
That is 86% of the deaths for the year, dying due to toxic drugs.
In our Sea to Sky region—which is classified for the report as North Shore/Coast Garibaldi and includes Howe Sound, North Vancouver, Powell River and the Sunshine Coast—we went from three deaths of unhoused people in 2022 to 11 in 2023.
“The data speaks to the tragic reality of the struggles many face in our communities throughout B.C.,” said Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, chief coroner, in a news release.
“During the period studied, between 2016 and 2023, the deaths of 1,940 people were reported to the BC Coroners Service, identified as experiencing homelessness.”
As we barrel toward a federal election and as a trade war with the U.S. takes centre stage, these sobering statistics should be kept in mind while we listen to politicians, or our neighbours, friends and co-workers talk about affordable housing, toxic drugs, unsafe streets, and addiction treatment.
There are real people behind these discussions and starkly real consequences to the policies and attitudes we have about them.
See the full BC Coroners Service report online by searching: “.”
