The Addiction Crisis in New Westminster

New Westminster declared a local toxic drug crisis response in 2023–2024. The city recorded 38 toxic drug fatalities in 2023, down from 47 in 2021 and 32 in 2022. New Westminster Fire and Rescue responded to over 700 toxic drug poisoning calls in 2023 alone. In March 2024, the City of New Westminster and Fraser Health jointly launched a Second Responder Program pairing firefighters with overdose outreach specialists (social workers, nurses, harm reduction workers). The New Westminster Overdose Community Action Team (NWOCAT), established in 2018 and operated by the Lower Mainland Purpose Society, coordinates harm reduction, anonymous drug checking, a mobile health van, and peer support services. The city's Overdose Prevention Site on Begbie Street had its permit extended by council in June 2025 for another 18 months. Downtown areas — particularly Hyack Square — have seen open drug use, drawing urgent calls from local business owners. The 2023 Metro Vancouver homeless count found 203–341 people experiencing homelessness in New Westminster, a population at heightened overdose risk.

Canada recorded approximately 7,560 apparent opioid toxicity deaths in 2023 (Public Health Agency of Canada). British Columbia alone accounted for roughly one-third of all Canadian opioid deaths that year (2,511), making it the epicentre of the national crisis. The federal government's Emergency Treatment Fund has supported harm reduction projects in New Westminster. Nationally, opioid deaths declined modestly in 2024, but Canada remains in a prolonged public health emergency driven by an unregulated drug supply contaminated with fentanyl and novel synthetic opioids.

01. What is happening in New Westminster

02. A crisis that did not start this month

British Columbia declared a public health emergency over toxic drug deaths on April 14, 2016. In 2023, BC recorded 2,511 toxic drug deaths — the highest annual toll on record, equivalent to approximately 6.9 deaths per day. The province saw a 13% decline in 2024, with 2,253 deaths (6.2 per day). A further decline followed in 2025, with 1,826 deaths — approximately a 21% drop from 2024 and the first year below 2,000 since 2020. Since the emergency was declared, more than 18,000 British Columbians have died. Fraser Health Authority consistently records the highest regional death toll, with 533 deaths in 2025 (29% of provincial total). Fentanyl remains the dominant substance, detected in 69–85% of toxic drug deaths across reporting years. Approximately 84% of deaths occur indoors — 47–48% in private residences — and about 75% of victims are male, aged 30–59.

03. Why is it getting worse?

1. Fentanyl contamination of the unregulated drug supply — detected in 69–85% of BC toxic drug deaths across 2023–2025. Increasingly mixed with fluorofentanyl, cocaine, and benzodiazepines, making every use event unpredictable. 2. Solitary drug use in private residences — 47–48% of BC deaths occur in private homes, where no one is present to administer naloxone or call 911. 3. Poverty, homelessness, and lack of supportive housing — New Westminster's 2023 homeless count identified 203–341 people without stable housing, a population with extremely elevated overdose risk. 4. Insufficient addiction treatment access — despite the RAAC clinic, waitlists and stigma remain barriers to opioid agonist therapy (methadone, Suboxone). 5. Stigma and open drug use in public spaces — community resistance to harm reduction infrastructure (overdose prevention sites, shelters) pushes people to use alone in unsafe conditions. 6. Displacement from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside — policy pressure in Vancouver pushes drug-dependent individuals into surrounding municipalities including New Westminster.

04. Where hope still lives

Communities across British Columbia are responding with naloxone distribution, harm reduction programs, and peer support networks. Every person trained in naloxone use is a potential life saved.

05. In the news

The reporting behind this page:

• New Westminster, B.C., council approves controversial overdose prevention siteCBC News · 2025
• City of New Westminster and Fraser Health launch new toxic drug response programCity of New Westminster · 2024-03-20
• New Westminster business owners say illicit drug use and theft are rampantGlobal News · 2025-07-15
• B.C. sets grim record with 2,511 toxic drug deaths in 2023CBC News · 2024-01-18
• Drug deaths in B.C. dropped 13 per cent in 2024, hitting four-year lowNorth Shore News · 2025
• BC Coroners Service shares 2025 data into unregulated drug-toxicity deathsBC Government News · 2026