Connect with us

Alberta

Red Deer recovery community slated for fall completion

Published

5 minute read

Construction on the 75-bed recovery community project in Red Deer is on time and on budget and is expected to be completed this fall.

The Red Deer recovery community is a first-of-its-kind project in Alberta that will house a long-term addiction treatment program focused on helping people pursue recovery.

Currently 52 of 72 modular buildings are on site. The installation of mechanical and electrical systems as well as work on the building interiors are scheduled to get underway later this month. The final modular buildings will be arriving soon.

“Alberta’s government is making sure that every Albertan has the opportunity to pursue recovery from the devastating and destructive illness of addiction. I am pleased that this project is on time to start operations in the fall so that Albertans can begin their recovery as soon as possible.”

Jason Kenney, Premier

“Alberta Infrastructure plays a key role in delivering this essential project. Our goal is to have this facility up and running as soon as possible to bring more jobs and specialized care to the people of Red Deer.”

Nicholas Milliken, Minister of Infrastructure

“Addiction and mental health challenges have taken a significant toll on central Alberta over the past decade. Increasing treatment capacity in Red Deer is long overdue. Alberta’s government is proud to make this investment to save lives, support recovery and bring hope to the community of Red Deer.”

Mike Ellis, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

“The Red Deer recovery community will be an important part of the recovery-oriented system of care that we are building in Red Deer to help people improve their lives. Our government is proud to invest in projects like this to build up our communities and bring more jobs to Albertans.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer-North

“It is essential that our community have access to quality mental health care. This project will not only expand access to addictions treatment for those in need, but it will also bring jobs to our city and help boost our economic recovery.”

Ken Johnston, mayor, City of Red Deer

Recovery communities are a form of long-term residential treatment that focus on supporting people who are pursuing recovery. Recovery is seen as a gradual, ongoing process of behavioural change through clinical and peer interventions aimed at improving a person’s overall well-being.

Alberta’s government is helping Albertans access life-saving addiction and mental health-related prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery resources.

Quick facts

  • This project is keeping Albertans working, supporting about 135 well-paid construction and construction-related jobs.
  • Alberta Health is in the process of opening four recovery community projects.
    • Red Deer (75-bed facility)
      • Construction slated for fall completion.
    • Lethbridge (50-bed facility)
      • Groundbreaking took place in May 2022 and the project is on schedule to be completed in late 2022.
    • Gunn (100-bed facility)
      • The project is in the design stage. Construction and completion dates will be determined as the project progresses.
    • Blood Tribe (75-bed facility)
      • The project is in the planning phase.
  • Contact Alberta 211 for information about addiction treatments and supports available throughout the province.
  • Albertans struggling with opioid use anywhere in the province can call the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program seven days a week at 1-844-383-7688 to access same-day treatment.
  • Albertans using substances at home alone can download the DORS app to a smartphone free of charge from any app store or via DORSApp.ca. When using the app, Albertans will receive a call from the STARS emergency centre if they become unresponsive to a timer. If an overdose is suspected, STARS will immediately dispatch emergency medical services to the person’s location.

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

Follow Author

Alberta

Canada’s postal service refuses to help with Trudeau’s gun ban buyback program: report

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

According to a report, Canada’s mail service notified the Trudeau government via a letter that it would not participate in the buyback scheme, citing safety concerns for its employees.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government crackdown on legal gun owners through a buyback scheme has hit a major roadblock after Canada Post, a federal-run institution, signaled it will refuse to participate in scooping up thousands of legally purchased firearms at the bequest of the government.

According to government sources in a recent Radio-Canada report, the Trudeau Liberals were hoping Canada Post would help collect approximately 144,000 “assault” and “military-style” firearms that were recently banned by the government. Canada Post currently delivers guns via mail that are legally purchased to those with firearms licenses.

The inside source, who chose not to be named, noted that Canada Post notified the Trudeau government via a letter that it would not participate in the buyback scheme, citing safety concerns for its employees.

According to the source, Canada Post is still talking with the federal government, with one idea being to allow it to transport guns but not oversee getting them from their legal owners.

“It’s a challenge, but we do not think this jeopardizes our timetable or the government’s desire to move forward,” said one source, adding, “We want the discussions to continue.”

As for the Trudeau federal government, it continues to say that having Canada Post be involved in the gun buyback is the “most efficient” as well as “least costly” way to get the guns back from owners.

Trudeau’s gun grab was first announced after a deadly mass shooting in Nova Scotia in May 2020 in which he banned over 1,500 “military-style assault firearms” with a plan to begin buying them back from owners.

Late last year, the Trudeau government extended the amnesty deadline for legal gun owners until October 30, 2025. It should be noted that this is around the same time a federal election will take place.

The Canadian government’s controversial gun grab Bill C-21, which bans many types of guns, including handguns, and mandates a buyback program became law on December 14, 2023, after senators voted 60-24 in favor of the bill.

Alberta and other provinces promise to fight Trudeau’s gun grab tooth and nail

On the same day news broke that Canada Post said it would not participate in Trudeau’s gun buyback, Alberta chief firearms officer Teri Bryant last Wednesday issued a statement saying, “We urge the federal government to abandon this ill-advised program and meaningfully consult the provinces as we work to address the actual causes of firearms crime.”

“Canadians are still waiting for concrete details about the federal firearms confiscation program that has been in the works since 2020, and Canada Post’s refusal to participate in the federal government’s firearms ‘buy-back’ program is just one more example of how little forethought or engagement has gone into implementation of this program,” Bryant said.

Bryant noted that the buyback will not “significantly improve public safety” because it does not target those “involved in criminal activity and gun violence, and Albertans can be assured that our government will continue to advocate for our law-abiding firearms community.”

“We believe in a principled and informed approach to firearms policy that preserves public safety and recognizes the immense responsibility that comes with firearms ownership,” she noted.

Bryant observed that the federal confiscation program is not only causing uncertainty for many firearms businesses, but it is also “pulling attention and resources away from programs and initiatives that would help address public safety.”

“It is also undermining public confidence in the fairness of our entire firearms regulatory scheme,” she added.

Indeed, LifeSiteNews reported in February that despite Trudeau’s crackdown on legal gun owners, Statistics Canada data shows that most violent gun crimes in the country last year were not committed at the hands of legal gun owners but by those who obtained the weapons illegally.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, along with premiers from no less than four additional provinces, are opposed to C- 21.

Late last year, Smith promised she would strengthen the gun rights of Albertans because of Trudeau’s gun grab.

Continue Reading

Alberta

Alberta threatens to fight Trudeau government restrictions on Canada’s plastics industry

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector”

Alberta has rejected the Liberal government’s “unconstitutional” federal plastics registry and production limit.

In an April 25 press release, Alberta’s Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz promised to take Liberal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to court over his proposal to create a plastics registry, mandating companies to report their plastic production and implementation.

“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector,” Schulz declared.

“This unilateral announcement is a slap in the face to Alberta and our province’s petrochemical industry, and the thousands of Albertans who work in it,” she continued.

Guilbeault’s plan, set to be implemented in September 2025, would mandate that businesses record how much plastic they place on the market in addition to the amount of plastic waste generated on their commercial, industrial, and institutional premises.

Companies would then report that amount to the federal government. The plan exempts small businesses which produce less than one tonne of plastic each year.

However, Schulz explained that the registry would negatively affect Alberta, as “plastics production is a growing part of Alberta’s economy, and we are positioned to lead the world for decades to come in the production of carbon neutral plastics.”

“Minister Guilbeault’s proposal would throw all of that into jeopardy and risk billions of dollars in investments. This includes projects like Dow Chemical’s net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan, a $9-billion project that will create thousands of jobs,” she warned.

“If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other countries like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada,” she explained.

Schulz’s statement comes after the November decision by the Federal Court to rule in favor of Alberta and Saskatchewan, declaring that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government overstepped its authority by classifying plastic as “toxic” and banning all single-use plastic items, like straws.

Essentially, the ruling overturned Trudeau’s 2022 law which outlawed manufacturing or importing plastic straws, cutlery, and checkout bags on the grounds of government claims that plastic was having a negative effect on the oceans. In reality, most plastic pollution in the oceans comes from a few countries, like India and China, which dump waste directly on beaches or in rivers.

The November ruling was only one of two recent court rulings that have dealt a blow to Trudeau’s environmental laws.

The second ruling came after Canada’s Supreme Court recently sided in favor of provincial autonomy when it comes to natural resources. The Supreme Court recently ruled that Trudeau’s law C-69, dubbed the “no-more pipelines” bill, is “mostly unconstitutional.” This was a huge win for Alberta and Saskatchewan, which challenged the law in court. The decision returned authority over the pipelines to provincial governments, meaning oil and gas projects headed up by the provinces should be allowed to proceed without federal intrusion.

The Trudeau government, however, seems insistent on defying the recent rulings by pushing forward with its various regulations.

Continue Reading

Trending

X