Alberta Pledges $23M to Build Youth Addiction Recovery Centre

Design rendering of the proposed Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre. Alberta Government/Handout photo

The Alberta government says it will spend $23 million to build an addiction treatment centre for youth as part of the province’s efforts to address addiction issues through its recovery-based model.

The Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will be built in Edmonton and will more than double the system’s current capacity, increasing addiction treatment beds for youth from 70 to 175, officials said in a Nov. 26 press release. The centre will offer treatment to 300 Alberta youth every year, according to provincial estimates.

“The addiction crisis in Alberta devastates communities and families, not just here but across the entire nation,” said Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams at a press conference. “Every single Albertan, especially our children, deserve an opportunity at recovery if they suffer from the deadly disease of addiction.”

The facility will be established by renovating half of what is currently the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre. Building on existing infrastructure will help reduce time and costs, officials said, adding the recovery centre will be “completely separate” from the corrections facility and will not share living areas.

During their stay in the centre, participants will engage in individual, group, and family counselling, and will have access to opioid agonist treatment medications, the province said, while parents and caregivers will be “active participants” in the treatment process.

The facility will also receive youth who have been given treatment orders under the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD). This act allows parents or guardians to request that a minor who abuses drugs or alcohol be placed in mandatory detoxification for up to 15 days.

The new recovery centre will operate in accordance with what the province calls the “Alberta Recovery Model.” The model aims to address addiction issues by focusing on “long-term measurable improvements” and emphasizes the creation of a “recovery community” in which families, friends, and workplaces can support a person’s recovery.

The province is expected to invest a total of $350 million in the construction of 11 adult recovery communities, some of which are already operational while others are “in various stages of development.” The 11 recovery communities would serve more than 2,000 adults each year, the province said.