Opioid crisis may be decreasing life expectancy for Canadians: report
OTTAWA — Canada’s chief public health officer says the opioid crisis is responsible for limiting Canadians’ life expectancy.
In a report released Tuesday, Dr. Theresa Tam says life expectancy has been steadily on the rise in Canada but she warns that life expectancy in B.C. is decreasing — the province hit hardest by the opioid crisis.
Tam said in an interview that there has been about 1,000 deaths related to the opioid crisis in the first quarter of 2018, saying it’s on track to see the same numbers as last year, which saw nearly 4,000 Canadians die from apparent opioid overdoses.
The significant number of B.C. deaths caused by opioid overdoses, particularly among men, is going to have an impact on broader life expectancy rates, she said