B.C.'s Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says illicit drug overdoses killed 981 people last year, which represents about 2.7 deaths a day. She says the numbers of overdose deaths are down 36 per cent compared to 2018, but they are virtually the same as the number of deaths recorded four years ago when B.C. declared a public health emergency. Lapointe says she and other health and social service officials continue to call for more access to safe drug supplies to combat overdoses.