Good morning {{First name}}!
FIFA has landed in North America and Team Canada has already played its first game in Toronto—a 1–1 draw on Friday against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The team will play again on Thursday, taking on Qatar, this time in Vancouver.
Watch parties are happening across the city now through the end of the tournament on July 19—check out this virtual map to see where you can catch a game.
Are you planning to go to any FIFA fan events in Victoria or Vancouver?
— Robyn
Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes
🌡 Weather Forecast
NEWS
BC drug deaths down a third since last year,
Island death rate still high
Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, BC chief coroner. Photo: Province of BC / Flickr
In April, 25 Islanders were killed by toxic drugs, according to new data from the BC Coroners Service (BCCS). This includes nine people in Greater Victoria.
Across BC, 119 people lost their lives to illicit drugs. This is a significant drop compared to the same month last year, when 174 people died of toxic drugs—a more than 30% reduction.
This decline was also present on the Island, which recorded 35 toxic drug deaths in April 2025. Still, Island Health has the second-highest drug death rate in BC: 39 deaths per 100K people. Northern Health recorded the highest with 48 deaths per 100K people.
In the first four months of 2026, BC lost 522 people to toxic drugs. On the Island, 116 have died from illicit drugs between January and April, including 43 in Greater Victoria.
The death rate for people aged 19 to 59—typically the age grouping with the highest number of drug deaths—has declined significantly since 2021. Deaths among people 60+ have remained “relatively stable,” according to the BCCS.
So far this year, fluorofentanyl—a synthetic opioid that can be twice as potent as fentanyl—has been the substance most commonly linked to drug deaths in BC, having been detected in 67% of decedents. Cocaine is second, linked to 57% of deaths, and fentanyl is third, linked to 56%.
This is the first year fentanyl has not been the top substance associated with death in the province. On the Island, it’s still the leading substance linked to drug deaths, detected in 67% of cases in 2026.
These statistics are based on expedited drug testing and could change as more testing is completed.
April marked a decade since BC declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. More than 18K British Columbians have lost their lives to toxic drugs since 2016.
⚠ Capital Bulletin
Cook closed between Pandora and Mason, starting Monday for one week. [City of Vic]
Sea to Sea Regional Park trails reopen after bear activity led to temporary closure. [CRD]
Gorge Farmers Market in Esquimalt opens for the season tomorrow.
HarbourCats host Springfield today. [1:05pm at RAP]
FIFA World Cup en français at Franco FanZone, 3-8pm today.
Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
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