2023 will go down as the busiest year ever for paramedics in Williams Lake when it comes to the number of overdose calls they responded to.
BC Emergency Health Services says they had 249 calls this past year, by far their most ever, and up from 162 in 2022.
Williams Lake has seen a steady increase in calls since the public health emergency for toxic drugs was declared in 2016.
The numbers were actually down a little in both Quesnel and 100 Mile House.
Paramedics in Quesnel responded to 137 suspected overdoses in 2023, down from 160 in 2022.
The number of overdose calls in 100 Mile House went from 30 in 2022 to 19 last year.
Overall in B.C., calls were up by 25 percent, from 33,654 in 2022 to 42,172 in 2023.
That is an average of 116 calls per day.
Overdose calls have increased by 116 percent in B.C. since the public health emergency for toxic drugs was declared.
OVERDOSE CALLS 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Williams Lake 53 52 72 78 114 117 162 249
Quesnel 62 86 84 120 210 157 160 137
100 Mile House 17 13 14 9 10 31 30 19
