B.C. Coroners Service releases data on homeless deaths

PRINCE GEORGE- The B.C. Coroners Service released updated data on homeless deaths and there was a 140% increase on deaths in 2016 compared to 2015 across the province.

The report takes into account deaths from 2007 to 2016 and here in Prince George, we saw a rise of 3%, with five deaths in 2016 as opposed to just two in 2015. The deaths here in Prince George might not be as high as Vancouver or Victoria but there are certain challenges like the cold weather that make it tough to be homeless outside compared to other places in the province.

Some key numbers from the findings include:

• 175 deaths of homeless individuals in British Columbia
• 93 of the deaths were accidental and 53% resulted from unintentional drug or alcohol poisoning
• Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health accounted for 59% of the deaths from 2007-2016
• 85% of those who died were male
• Northern Health had eight total deaths, with five being from Prince George