The number of apparent opioid deaths in the first nine months of last year almost matched the figure for all of 2016.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has released the grim figures on behalf of a special advisory committee set up to deal with the epidemic of opioid overdoses.
There were 2,946 deaths believed to stem from opioids across the country in 2016 and at least 2,923 from January to September of last year, the vast majority of them accidental.
Most unintentional opioid-related deaths involved males.
From January to September 2017, almost three-quarters of such fatalities were caused by fentanyl or fentanyl analogues, compared with 55 per cent the year before.
Authorities have identified China as a leading source of opioids entering Canada.