B.C. overdoses hit grim record for April

VANCOUVER — New numbers from health officials and first responders in British Columbia confirm a provincewide drug overdose crisis shows no sign of abating. BC Emergency Health Services says it responded to 109 suspected overdoses around B.C. on Thursday, with 71 of those calls coming from the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health districts, within Metro Vancouver.

A further 38 calls were spread across Vancouver Island, the Interior and northern health districts, and a spokeswoman for Emergency Health Services says while Thursday was busy, Wednesday marked an all-time record for calls for paramedics.