Yukon Substance Use Surveillance Report

This report highlights the impact of substance use on the health and well-being of Yukoners. People from all corners of society can experience substance-related harms, ranging from acute alcohol intoxication to a chronic condition like liver cirrhosis or drug toxicity death from unregulated drugs.

Harm and death due to substance use are preventable. The numbers in this report are not just statistics; they represent the lives of Yukoners.

This report offers data on health-related harms from substance use in the Yukon and can be used to guide public health decisions. It helps to:

• understand how substance use affects the health of Yukon’s population and compare it with other regions.
  
• identify groups who would benefit from targeted prevention and intervention efforts
  
• support evidence-based actions by governments and health systems
  
• raise public awareness

The report presents data from:

• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
  
• Hospital emergency department (ED)
  
• Hospital admissions
  
• Chief Coroner

Some data are reported quarterly and others annually, offering different perspectives on trends. This report includes crude rates, which account for the Yukon’s population size and allow for comparison to other jurisdictions (see data notes for more information on rates). It also provides as well as raw counts, showing the total number of cases or incidents to illustrate the scale of the issue. In some cases, national comparisons were used to measure how the Yukon compares to broader Canadian trends.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) data in this report on drug- and alcohol-related responses are collected by paid paramedics using an electronic patient care reporting form. Volunteer paramedics in the Yukon do not currently use this system, so calls they attended are not included in this report.

The locations and hours of paid paramedics are:
- Whitehorse: 7 days a week, 24 hours a day
- Watson Lake: 7 days a week, 8:30am to 6:30pm
- Dawson City: Mon to Fri, 8:00am to 4:30pm

EMS responses in communities other than Whitehorse, Watson Lake, and Dawson City are not captured in this report.

See additional EMS data notes to learn how drug poisoning and alcohol responses are defined.

Figure 1. EMS: Annual rate of paramedic-attended drug poisoning and alcohol events

This graph shows the crude rate per 100,000 for paramedic-attended responses to substance-related incidents. This captures any events coded for drug poisoning or overdose, along with acute alcohol intoxication or withdrawal.

Alcohol-related incidents account for the majority of EMS responses for substance use, though the annual rate has been steadily declining since its peak in 2020. Although the observed rate of drug poisoning responses has decreased since 2021, it remains notably higher than in 2019.

Figure 2. EMS: Quarterly rate of paramedic-attended drug poisoning and alcohol events

Figure 2 provides the same information as Figure 1, but on a quarterly basis.

Paramedic responses to alcohol-related incidents show a seasonal trend, with higher rates during the summer months.

In contrast, paramedic responses to drug poisoning events do not foloow any specific pattern. Although drug poisoning events have declined slightly from 2021 to 2023, the rate in 2023 remained higher than in 2019.

Figure 3. EMS: Monthly counts and rate of paramedic-attended drug poisoning and alcohol events

Figure 3 features a bar chart with monthly counts, with a LOESS trend line (see data notes for more information on LOESS).

Paramedic-attended alcohol-related responses show a seasonal trend of higher volumes during the summer months. The LOESS trend line also shows the observed annual rate steadily declining since a peak in 2020.

Figure 4. EMS: Annual rate of paramedic-attended drug poisoning & alcohol events, by age and sex

Figure 4 provides information on paramedic-attended drug- and alcohol-related incidents. Crude rates are provided for alcohol and drug poisoning by age groups and sex (see drop-down menu to toggle between age and sex graphs).

It shows that individuals aged 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49 have the highest rates of paramedic responses to drug poisoning, with these age groups being the most affected since 2019. Men have consistently shown higher rates than women, though this gap appeared to narrow in 2023.

From 2019 to 2022, alcohol-related responses were most common among those aged 50-59. However, by 2023, the highest rate shifted to the 30-39 age group. Similar to drug poisoning cases, men continued to have higher rates than women.

Table 1. EMS: Five-year counts and percent of locations of paramedic responses to drug-poisoning calls (2019-2023)

Pickup location - drug poisoning	Count (n)	Percent (%)
Residence	630	40.2
405 Alexander	353	22.5
Street/Highway/Road	190	12.1
Hotel	101	6.4
Hospital (Acute & Non-Acute)	43	2.7
Airport/Heliport	33	2.1
Correctional facility	27	1.7
Medical office/Clinic/Nursing outpost	23	1.5
School/College/University	19	1.2
Restaurant/Bar	17	1.1
Single Store/Strip Mall	16	1.0

Note: Percentages less than 1 have not been displayed in this table.

Table 2. EMS: Five-year counts and percent of locations of paramedic responses to alcohol-related calls (2019-2023)

Pickup location - alcohol	Count (n)	Percent (%)
405 Alexander	2,087	32.3
Residence	1,514	23.4
Street/Highway/Road	1,239	19.2
Hotel	452	7.0
Restaurant/Bar	137	2.1
Single Store/Strip Mall	96	1.5
Correctional facility	88	1.4
Mental Wellness & Substance Use Services	91	1.4
Park	86	1.3
Office Building	76	1.2
Medical office/Clinic/Nursing outpost	72	1.1

Note: Percentages less than 1 have not been displayed in this table.

Hospital - Emergency Department Visits

Hospital emergency department (ED) data are drawn from the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). NACRS is a national database designed to capture demographic, administrative, clinical and service-specific data from across Canada. Information about each visit is collected at the time of service at the Whitehorse General Hospital, Dawson City Community Hospital, and Watson Lake Community Hospital.

See additional Hospital data notes

Figure 5. Annual rate of substance-related emergency department visits

Figure 5 shows the crude rate per 100,000 for annual substance-related emergency department visits in the Yukon. The visits are categorized into the following four groups:

• “Visits caused by substance use (including alcohol)” are wide ranging and can include acute intoxication, dependence syndrome, harmful use, poisoning, and cirrhosis of liver.
  
• “Visits caused by substance use (excluding alcohol)” is the same as above but does not include any conditions related to alcohol.
  
• “Visits for drug poisoning” are more specific to drug poisoning, and do not include visits related to alcohol use. Drugs captured include: opioids, stimulants, cannabis, hallucinogens, benzodiazepines, and psychotropics.
  
• “Visits caused by alcohol” are similar to “visits caused by substance use” but are exclusively for alcohol.

Annual data help reveal long-term trends by smoothing out short-term fluctuations. This graph shows that alcohol-related visits are much higher than those for drug poisoning or substance use excluding alcohol. While the rates for alcohol-related visits have declined from their peak in 2019, the 2023 rate remains very high overall.

Drug poisoning rates show more year-to-year fluctuation due to the smaller number of visits. After peaking in 2021, the rate in 2023 still remains higher than 2019.

Figure 6. Quarterly rate of substance-related emergency department visits

Figure 6 provides the same information as Figure 5 but on a quarterly basis. Quarterly data help visualize fluctuations throughout the year and can reveal seasonal patterns or other trends in substance-related emergency department visits. Similar to the quarterly data from Emergency Medical Services, substance-related ED visits involving alcohol appear to follow a seasonal trend, with higher observed rates occurring in the summer months.

Figure 7. Annual rate of substance-related emergency department visits, by age, sex, and hospital

Figure 7 shows the crude rate per 100,000 for substance-related emergency departments visits in the Yukon on an annual basis by:

• Age
  
• Sex
  
• Hospital

The age groups with the highest observed rates of emergency department visits — 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 — are the same as those with the highest rates for paramedic responses to drug poisoning. Between 2019 and 2023, men were seen more frequently than women. Watson Lake Community Hospital reported higher rates of emergency department visits compared to Whitehorse General Hospital and Dawson City Community Hospital, with a notable spike in 2023 (see drop-down menu to toggle between age, sex, and hospital graphs).

Note: For hospital-specific emergency department visit data, patients may be counted more than once. For example, a patient who visited Watson Lake Community Hospital’s emergency department and was then transferred to Whitehorse General Hospital would be counted in both facilities on this graph.

Figure 8. Annual and quarterly percent of the number of substances involved in substance-related emergency department visits

Figure 8 shows an annual and quarterly breakdown of the number of different substances a person may have used before accessing emergency department services. It does not specify which substances were used but indicates the percentage of people using one, two, three, or four or more substances simultaneously. Understanding these patterns can provide valuable insights into substance use behaviours. This graph shows that the majority of visits from 2019-2023 were for a single substance.

Polysubstance use – when two or more substances are consumed together or one after the other – is useful to track because while using multiple substances is common, it can increase the risk of an acute toxicity event. For example, mixing different drugs can make their effects stronger or more dangerous, especially with substances like opioids, alcohol, or benzodiazepines.

Polysubstance use is driven by people’s experience and expectation of substance effects. Substances can be used simultaneously or sequentially to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, enhance a high, reduce overall use, or mimic the effect of another substance.¹

Figure 9. Annual percent of the categories of substances involved in substance-related emergency department visits

Figure 9 shows the frequency of each category of substance as a proportion of the total substances involved in emergency department visits each year.

A single visit may involve one diagnosis (e.g. stimulant poisoning) or multiple diagnoses (e.g. opioid poisoning and alcohol intoxication).

The pattern of substances involved in ED visits has remained fairly consistent from 2019 to 2023, with alcohol consistently being the substance involved in the largest proportion of substance-related ED visits.

Note: Categories of substances accounting for less than one percent are not included.

Figure 10. Five-year percent of common two-substance combinations in substance-related emergency department visits (2019-2023)

Figure 10 shows the most common combinations of two substances among individuals presenting to the emergency department between 2019 and 2023. It provides insights into patterns of substance use, particularly polysubstance use.

Over the five-year period (2019 to 2023), nearly 60% of two-substance ED visits involved a combination of alcohol and a stimulant, making it the most frequent pairing.

Figure 11. Annual rate of frequent emergency department visits for help with mental health and substance use, across jurisdictions

Figure 11 shows the proportion of frequent visitors (with at least 4 visits a year) among those who visit an emergency department (ED) for help with mental health and/or substance use. Frequent visits may strain already busy EDs.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) notes that frequent visits to emergency departments may be an indication that people are not getting access to the services or the support they need for help with mental health and substance use.

For more information on this indicator, see CIHI’s website

Figure 12. Five-year count of drug poisoning emergency department visits that included opioids and/or a CNS depressant (2019-2023)

Figure 12 provides information on individuals who presented to the emergency department having used an opioid and/or a central nervous system (CNS) depressant.

From 2019 to 2023, there were a total of 262 visits that involved an opioid. Within these visits, 21 people (8%) who had opioids in their system also had a CNS depressant present.

There were also a total of 95 visits that involved a CNS depressant. Within these visits, 21 people (22%) who had a CNS depressant in their system, also had an opioid present.

Opioids and CNS depressants (such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or alcohol) have compounding effects on respiratory depression, increasing the risk of drug poisoning. ED visits involving both types of drugs may reflect more severe poisonings, as this combination can lead to life-threatening conditions. Understanding the prevalence of these combinations can guide communication and inform medical management strategies.

Figure 13. Five-year count of drug poisoning emergency department visits that included stimulants and/or opioids (2019-2023)

Figure 13 provides information on the individuals who present to the emergency department, having used an opioid and/or a stimulant.

From 2019 to 2023, there were a total of 262 visits that involved an opioid. Within these visits, 47 people (18%) who had opioids in their system also had a stimulant.

There were also a total of 105 visits that involved a stimulant. Within these visits, 47 people (45%) who had a stimulant in their system, also had an opioid present.

While these figures show the drug combinations in individuals who visited the ED for drug poisoning, it remains unknown whether these drugs were intentionally used together or not.

Whether there is a change in the pharmacological makeup of drugs or people are choosing to use multiple substances, understanding the specific drugs involved is crucial for tailoring interventions and determining appropriate responses, such as the use of naloxone.²

Hospital - Admissions

Hospital admission data in this report are sourced from the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s Discharge Abstract Database (DAD), a national database that captures administrative, clinical, and demographic information on hospital discharges across Canada. These graphs present data collected from Whitehorse General Hospital, Dawson City Community Hospital, and Watson Lake Community Hospital.

See additional Hospital data notes

Figure 14. Annual rate of hospital stays for harm caused by substance use