What Canada's wastewater reveals about drug use in 8 cities

New StatCan data shows sharply different drug-use patterns across eight Canadian cities, with methamphetamine elevated in parts of the Prairies and Moncton, cocaine comparatively high in Halifax and fentanyl highest in Metro Vancouver.

New StatCan data shows starkly different drug-use patterns across 8 Canadian cities

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Flush a toilet in Prince Albert, Sask., and the wastewater tells a very different drug story than it does in Halifax or Vancouver.

New Statistics Canada data shows striking differences in drugs detected in wastewater across eight Canadian cities:

• Methamphetamine and cocaine levels were highest in Prince Albert and also elevated in Saskatoon and Moncton, N.B.
• Halifax had the lowest methamphetamine levels but comparatively high cocaine levels.
• Fentanyl remained dramatically higher in Metro Vancouver than elsewhere.

The StatCan survey measures drug metabolites — chemical byproducts excreted after the body breaks down drugs — in wastewater samples collected during one-week sampling windows every two months.

The data, from January 2024 to March 2026, covers catchments serving about 9.2 million people. StatCan cautions that it doesn't show exactly how many people use a drug or how much they consume.

But it is a "pretty good proxy of drug consumption" within the area served by a treatment plant, StatCan analyst Sianne Kuang told CBC News.

Prince Albert

Prince Albert had the highest methamphetamine levels of any city monitored and the greatest fluctuations in both methamphetamine and cocaine.

In March 2026, its estimated methamphetamine load was 2,003 milligrams per 1,000 people per day — more than nine times Toronto's roughly 214 milligrams.

"There's many different drivers of different substance use, and one of them is just what is available in the market," said Kora DeBeck, a professor in the School of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University.

Saskatoon

Saskatoon also recorded some of the highest methamphetamine levels, along with Moncton, but behind Prince Albert. Its March 2026 reading was about 958 milligrams per 1,000 people per day.

DeBeck said regional patterns may be connected to how drugs reach local markets.

"It seems much more connected to drug trafficking and how the networks of drug production and trafficking work, and we really don't have good insight into that."

Edmonton

Edmonton's methamphetamine load reached about 1,071 milligrams per 1,000 people per day in January 2025 and stood at 624 in March 2026 — nearly three times Toronto's level that month.

Moncton

Moncton also recorded some of the highest methamphetamine levels.

Methamphetamine was involved in 63 per cent of stimulant toxicity deaths in New Brunswick in 2024 — the highest share involving methamphetamine among Atlantic provinces, StatCan noted.

Moncton joined the survey in March 2025, providing less data from which to identify trends.

Halifax

In March 2026, it recorded just 56 milligrams of methamphetamine per 1,000 people per day, the lowest among the cities monitored, while cocaine was about 1,734 milligrams. Prince Albert's cocaine reading was about 5,296 milligrams — roughly three times Halifax's.

Cocaine was involved in 86 per cent of stimulant-related deaths in Nova Scotia in 2024, compared with 14 per cent involving methamphetamine. Earlier CBC reporting also documented cocaine's growing role in drug-related deaths in the province.

Monty Ghosh, an addiction physician and researcher at the University of Alberta, said local production, using different precursors, formulas and mixtures, can create distinct regional supplies.

"They don't have the same formula they're using. They don't use necessarily the same compounds or drugs."

Metro Vancouver

Metro Vancouver consistently recorded the highest fentanyl levels of all eight cities.

Average levels declined in 2025 and early 2026 compared with 2024, a change StatCan says coincided with a drop in Vancouver's unregulated drug death rate.

DeBeck cautioned against viewing fentanyl's prevalence simply as a response to demand.

"People didn't demand or want fentanyl in the beginning. It just arrived and was there, and then people became dependent on it," she said.

Ghosh said falling fentanyl measurements don't necessarily capture everything happening in the opioid supply, noting that "there's different forms of fentanyl out there, which may not be measured here."

Toronto

Toronto's methamphetamine levels were far below those recorded in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, but another stimulant stood out.

Across available reporting months from July 2024 to March 2026, Toronto had the highest average MDMA levels of the eight cities, at about 40 milligrams per 1,000 people per day.

Montreal

Montreal stood out for comparatively low levels of several opioids measured in the study.

Its codeine levels were the lowest among the participating cities, never exceeding about 44 milligrams per 1,000 people per day, compared with a combined-city average ranging from about 97 to 219.

Montreal also recorded the lowest methadone levels and some of the lowest oxycodone and morphine readings.

Its stimulant profile was closer to Toronto's, with relatively low methamphetamine and comparatively higher MDMA readings.

Wastewater can help illuminate patterns, Ghosh said, but it shouldn't be read in isolation.

"It's only one part of the picture."

Commuting, tourism and temporary population changes caused by special events can introduce uncertainty into the estimates, StatCan cautions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric Michael Johnson is a senior writer and editor based in Vancouver. Before joining CBC, he was an award-winning science writer and editor. He holds a PhD in the history of science from the University of British Columbia. He can be reached at eric.johnson@cbc.ca.