Suspect drug deaths in Hamilton reach 118 for 2026 through July

Hamilton recorded 22 suspect drug-related deaths in July, according to the coroner-reported figures on the city’s Opioid Information System, bringing the 2026 total to 118 through July. 2025 closed at 163. The city’s opioid death rate stood at 20.4 per 100,000 in 2024, against 13.9 for Ontario as a whole. These figures are preliminary by nature: suspect deaths are the coroner’s early count, and recent months rise as records arrive. The full monthly series, alongside paramedic responses and emergency department visits, is on the Hamilton numbers page.