Statement from the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health - Latest National Data on Substance-Related Harms

OTTAWA, ON, June 15, 2026 /CNW/ - Across Canada, deaths and harms from the illegal drug crisis continue to remain higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels and today's data release provides the most recent picture of substance-related deaths and harms in 2025. At the national level, from January to December 2025, there were 5,608 opioid-related deaths, an average of 15 deaths per day. This represents a decrease of 23% compared to 2024. However, it is important to acknowledge that this is unacceptably high, and every one of those 5,608 losses leaves a lifelong impact on friends, families, and communities. In addition, decreases have not been seen everywhere across the country; some jurisdictions and communities are still experiencing increases in harm, or no changes from previous years.

Stimulant-related deaths also decreased by 31% at the national level in 2025, compared to the year before. However, multiple jurisdictions reported higher numbers of stimulant-related deaths, compared to opioid-related deaths in 2025, including Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Northwest Territories. These variations between provinces and territories highlight how vast and different the situation is in each jurisdiction.

Though opioid-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits also decreased in 2025 (by 12% and 5%, respectively), there was a 9% increase in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responses. This is largely driven by increases in Alberta and Saskatchewan (by 67% and 50%, respectively). The upward trend in both provinces may be driven by the increased presence of fentanyl analogues, medetomidine and benzodiazepines in the unregulated illegal drug supply.

Benzodiazepines are a class of substances that act as sedatives and tranquilizers. An analysis also released today indicates that benzodiazepine involvement increased threefold in both the unregulated drug supply and in deaths between 2018 and 2024. While these identifications peaked in 2023, their overall contribution to opioid toxicity deaths rose from 8% in 2018 to 34% in 2024. This is a major increase that underscores the importance of monitoring the unregulated illegal drug supply.

Drugs circulating on the Canadian illegal market are contaminated and very toxic, making the risk of overdose extremely high. That said, due to a combination of factors, Canada saw a relative decrease in deaths last year. Some of these factors include shifts in the unregulated illegal drug supply, harm reduction measures including wider access to naloxone, and a smaller population at risk of overdose.

Working with our provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous partners is essential to obtaining an accurate picture of the state of this crisis. We recognize the invaluable work happening in each jurisdiction that has contributed to better understanding and addressing this crisis, with the hope of ending it one day.

The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health includes the Chief Medical Officer of Health from each provincial and territorial jurisdiction, the Chief Medical Officer from the First Nations Health Authority, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, the Chief Medical Advisor of Health Canada and the Chief Medical Officer of Public Health of Indigenous Services Canada. 

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

Contacts: Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]