Suspect drug deaths in Hamilton reach 137 for 2026 through August

Hamilton recorded 17 suspect drug-related deaths in August, according to the coroner-reported figures on the city’s Opioid Information System, bringing the 2026 total to 137 through August. 2025 closed at 163. The city’s opioid death rate stood at 14.7 per 100,000 in 2025, against 8.6 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.