Wastewater Data Maps Regional Drug Spikes Across Eight Canadian Cities

New data from Statistics Canada reveals significant regional variations in drug consumption across eight Canadian cities, using wastewater metabolites as a proxy for community drug use, as first reported by CBC Toronto. The study, which analyzed catchments serving approximately 9.2 million people from January 2024 to March 2026, highlights how the chemical footprint of specific substances varies by geography.

According to reporting by CBC Toronto, methamphetamine levels were most prominent in the Prairies and Moncton, N.B. Prince Albert recorded the highest methamphetamine levels of any monitored city, reaching an estimated load of 2,003 milligrams per 1,000 people per day in March 2026. This figure is more than nine times the 214 milligrams recorded in Toronto during the same period. Saskatoon also showed high levels, recording approximately 958 milligrams per 1,000 people per day in March 2026, while Edmonton's load peaked at 1,071 milligrams in January 2025 before settling at 624 in March 2026.

In the Atlantic region, Moncton recorded some of the highest methamphetamine levels. Statistics Canada found that in 2024, methamphetamine accounted for 63% of stimulant toxicity deaths in New Brunswick, the largest proportion of any Atlantic province. Conversely, Halifax recorded the lowest methamphetamine levels of all monitored cities in March 2026 at 56 milligrams per 1,000 people per day, though it showed comparatively high cocaine levels at 1,734 milligrams. For comparison, Prince Albert's cocaine reading was approximately 5,296 milligrams. CBC Toronto notes that cocaine was involved in 86% of stimulant-related deaths in Nova Scotia in 2024, while methamphetamine was involved in 14%.

Of the eight cities studied, Metro Vancouver consistently showed the highest levels of fentanyl. Statistics Canada reports that average levels declined in 2025 and early 2026, a trend that coincided with a decrease in Vancouver's unregulated drug death rate. In Toronto, while methamphetamine levels remained low, the city recorded the highest average MDMA levels of the group, averaging about 40 milligrams per 1,000 people per day between July 2024 and March 2026.

Experts cited by CBC Toronto suggest these patterns are driven by market availability and trafficking networks. Kora DeBeck, a professor at Simon Fraser University, noted that regional patterns are likely connected to how drug production and trafficking networks operate. Monty Ghosh, an addiction physician and researcher at the University of Alberta, noted that distinct regional supplies are created by local production utilizing different formulas and precursors.