Deaths among B.C.’s unhoused are on the rise throughout the province, on the Island and here in Greater Victoria.
“It’s heartbreaking and distressing that even one person might die as a result of being homeless, and seeing the numbers grow is obviously concerning,” said Julian Daly, CEO of Our Place Society.
On March 7, the BC Coroners Service released a report that the deaths among unhoused British Columbians, sheltered or not, rose “sharply” in 2023.
In 2023, 458 unhoused people died in British Columbia, a 23 per cent increase from 2022. In Greater Victoria, 40 people died, a 17.65 per cent increase from the 34 deaths in 2022. The wider Island Health region saw the largest increase in deaths across B.C.– a 54 per cent increase from 74 in 2022 to 114 in 2023.
“The data speaks to the tragic reality of the struggles many face in our communities throughout B.C.," said chief coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan.
The deaths in 2023 for Victoria were double the 20 recorded in 2016, the earliest year included in the study, and up 233 per cent from 2018, which saw the lowest number of deaths at 12.
Across B.C., deaths related to accidental unregulated drug toxicity were by far the most common at a rapidly increasing rate. In 2023 such deaths accounted for 91.5 per cent of deaths among unhoused people.
“It’s not surprising at all,” said Niki Ottosen of the Backpack project, an organization that provides tents, clothing, and more to Victoria’s unhoused.
Some have attributed the rise to the displacement of Victoria’s unhoused population, as the city limits sheltering options.
“We know that a good percentage of those deaths can be attributed to bylaw sweeps,” said Ottosen, who has long advocated against those actions and the forced displacement of unhoused groups in favour of a more humane approach.
Bylaw sweeps occur when authorities patrol city streets during the day, removing those who have sheltered overnight. In Victoria, authorities have been accused of conducting sweeps and unfairly impounding people’s belongings.
“When you start at one end of the street and you impound everybody's survival gear, throw half of it in the garbage and impound the other half, leave them with nothing, and then go up the other side of the street, that's a sweep.”
The city's position is that they do not conduct sweeps and only dispose of belongings if they are too hazardous to be stored, otherwise they are stored for 15 days and returned upon request.
“Staff recognize that each person is a unique individual and consequently staff do not conduct ‘sweeps’ or treat everyone in the exact same manner. Each person is evaluated for their ability to comply in any given time and place,” said Colleen Mycroft, the City of Victoria’s manager of intergovernmental and media relations.
“The work primarily centres around conversations with people in order to achieve voluntary compliance. Sometimes compliance can take a long time,”
If compliance cannot be reached, impounding provisions under the Streets and Traffic Bylaw and Parks Regulation Bylaw can be utilized.
But some are concerned the closure and policing of encampments may be contributing to the rising death rate.
“When we know where unhoused people are, we’re better able to support them,” said Shelly Cook, the executive director of the Community and Social Planning Council.
“When we displace people from the urban environment, including on Pandora, they end up in places where we don’t know where they are, and we can't keep eyes on them – not only service providers but people who could potentially intervene with Narcan.”
When unhoused people are alone, they are at much greater risk.
“We’re dismantling these communities where people look out for each other, forcing them onto streets and sidewalks alone to fend for themselves,” said Ottosen.
Cook says when unhoused people are isolated, they are more likely to use drugs alone and to rush their use. She says there was a need for more supervised consumption in 2023, which led to the opening of The Harbour.
For Cook, the rise in the death rate is caused by several factors, from the general increase in the unhoused population, to lower tolerance levels among them. For her, the only way to move forward is to address ongoing housing and health crises.
“If we have people, and if we have housing and services able to support the current unhoused population, we will see a reduction in overdose deaths and in trauma that leads to opioid use,” said Cook.
“So, I think it's that combination of the duelling health toxic drug crisis coupled with the affordable housing and homelessness crisis.”
While overdoses declined in 2024 throughout the province, Victoria and Sooke continued to see rates increase, a trend Cook expects to continue unless housing and health-care issues are adequately addressed.
“I think without change in those other factors, we can sadly anticipate that there will be more death among the unhoused population for a variety of reasons, including opioid overdoses.”
