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First Nations life expectancy plunges by 6 years in B.C.: report | CBC News

Average life expectancy among First Nations people in British Columbia has dropped by more than six years between 2017 and 2021, according t

CBC

Average life expectancy among First Nations people in British Columbia has dropped by more than six years between 2017 and 2021, according to a report released Wednesday by the First Nations Health Authority and the office of the provincial health officer. The report says First Nations life expectancy in B.C. fell from 73.3 years in 2017 to 67.2 years in 2021. Life expectancy for First Nations males declined by 6.8 years, and 5.2 years for females, for an overall decline of 6.1 years, the report said. "Clearly, this life expectancy data is gut wrenching," Dr. Daniele Behn Smith, deputy provincial health officer for Indigenous health, said at a news conference. "It is gut wrenching." Dr. Nel Wieman, First Nations Health Authority's chief medical health officer, said the decline was largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the province's opioid overdose crisis.