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

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.

June 15, 2026 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada

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, Nova Scotia, 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.