British Columbia reported its highest number of overdose deaths ever in the same year, with nearly five people dying on average everyday, according to a new report. The report (pdf) released Thursday by the B.C. Coroners Service said 1,716 people died from illicit drug overdoses in 2020 alone—a 74 percent spike over the numbers recorded the previous year. Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said that’s an “alarming” death rate of 33.4 per 100,000 people, far surpassing the total deaths caused by suicides, homicides, car crashes, and prescription drugs. “While many may think that deaths due to illicit drugs are confined to small areas or populations in our province, in fact people are dying in communities across B.C., from all walks of life, and leaving behind broken-hearted family, friends, and colleagues,” Lapointe said at a news conference on Thursday. In December 2020, 152 people were suspected to have died from drug overdoses, a …