Sask. hits another possible record for overdose deaths
With the number available as of Monday, Saskatchewan may have hit another record for drug overdose deaths in 2023 — potentially putting the tally at eight of the last nine years in which the province has hit a record.
The current numbers go up to Dec. 31, and show 291 confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2023, with another 193 suspected.
If all of those suspected deaths are confirmed, that would put the province at 484 overdose deaths, which would beat the current record of 404 from 2021. Even if half the suspected deaths are confirmed, that would still put the number of deaths in 2023 above the total reported in 2022, when there were 356.
Every year, Saskatchewan has hit a new record for overdose deaths, except in 2022. At the time, chief coroner Clive Weighill said the lower number could signal a plateau in deaths.