Addictions
Alberta’s recovery-focused addiction agency to address data gap
By Alexandra Keeler
The launch of Alberta’s Centre of Recovery Excellence comes as Ontario and Saskatchewan also shift to recovery-oriented models
This fall, Alberta will be launching a new agency to lead recovery-focused addiction research and treatment in the province.
The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE) aims to address a major challenge in Canada’s toxic drug crisis: a shortage of evidence-based, recovery-oriented research.
“[W]e hope to … support individuals on their recovery journey using the best available evidence on what works and what does not work,” the centre’s communications lead Katy Merrifield told Canadian Affairs in a written statement.
“There is also a lack of tangible research centred on the outcomes of recovery-focused policy, which is what CoRE aims to address,” she said.
The move comes at a time when Ontario and Saskatchewan are also shifting their policy responses away from harm-reduction strategies — such as safe consumption sites and needle exchange programs — toward more recovery-oriented models.
Last week, Ontario announced it would be closing 10 safe consumption sites located near daycares and schools and opening 19 recovery hubs. It also plans to prevent municipalities from establishing new consumption sites, requesting the decriminalization of illegal drugs or participating in federal safe supply initiatives, Canadian Affairs reported last week.
Early signs of success
CoRE’s launch is part of Alberta’s broader approach to addiction under the United Conservative Party government. The party, which has been in power since 2019, favours a recovery-oriented approach over a harm-reduction model.
In 2019, Alberta committed $140 million over four years to enhance addiction services, which has increased the number of available treatment spaces from 19,000 to 29,400. The province has eliminated a $40-a-day user fee at publicly funded addiction treatment facilities. And it has authorized police officers to assist detainees in seeking treatment.
The number of opioid-related deaths in the first three months of 2024 was 452, down from a high of 627 deaths in Q1 2023. However, it is still above the 241 deaths registered in the first quarter of 2020, according to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System.
Despite these early signs of success, the province would like to see further data to support its recovery-focused policy decisions.
“There is no clear centre of recovery excellence that can advise on what works and does not work when it comes to mental health and addictions,” Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams said April 2 when announcing the creation of CoRE.
“One challenge with addiction research, and research in general, is there is often an attempt to look at a very specific intervention over a short period of time,” said Merrified. “[B]roader, long-term research is time consuming and expensive.”
CoRE will investigate the number of Albertans affected by addiction, their recovery journeys and outcomes, such as return to work, access to housing and family reunification.
The agency also plans to integrate global best practices into Alberta’s programs.
“From Portugal’s commission for drug dissuasion combined with their massive scale of recovery spaces to Italy’s use of recovery communities, we look forward to incorporating global lessons where applicable,” said Merrifield.
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Industry funding
Alberta’s 2024 budget committed $5 million in funding to launch CoRE.
Merrifield says CoRE’s funding structure will be a key point of distinction between it and the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, which is another key player in addiction research and education.
In contrast to CoRE, the B.C. centre prioritizes addiction medicine and harm reduction.
“Our vision is to enable the well-being of people who use substances through evidence-informed, stigma-free policies,” the centre’s website says.
“CoRE has safeguards enshrined in legislation to protect against receiving external funding that could be seen as attempting to bias research results,” said Merrifield, noting the centre will not accept industry funding from pharmaceutical or cannabis companies.
By contrast, the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use does receive funding from the pharmaceutical company Indivior, the pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart and the cannabis companies Tilray and Canopy Growth.
Indivior is the maker of Suboxone, a medication prescribed for opioid dependence. Indivior is currently the subject of at least two class-action lawsuits alleging Indivior failed to disclose Suboxone’s adverse side effects, Canadian Affairs reported in August.
In 2021, Shoppers Drug Mart offered a $2-million gift to the University of British Columbia to establish a pharmacy fellowship and support the education of pharmacist-focused addiction treatment at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use.
Asked about the risk that drug industry funding could compromise the objectivity of their research, the B.C. centre referred Canadian Affairs to their website’s funding page. The website states their research is supported by peer-reviewed grants and independent ethical reviews to ensure objectivity.
Similar programs
Kevin Hollett, communications lead for the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, said the centre is willing to collaborate with CoRE.
“We would welcome opportunities to collaborate and share knowledge with the CoRE team following their operational launch and as they define their research scope,” he said in a written statement.
CoRE was initially slated to be operational this summer, but launch details have not yet been announced.
At a conference on April 4, Minister Williams announced plans for CoRE to collaborate with Ontario and Saskatchewan on recovery-focused treatment systems. Currently, both provinces lack a direct equivalent to CoRE or B.C.’s centre.
“Many jurisdictions are interested in learning from the Alberta Recovery Model and implementing similar programs,” said Merrifield.
This article was produced through the Breaking Needles Fellowship Program, which provided a grant to Canadian Affairs, a digital media outlet, to fund journalism on addiction and crime in Canada. Articles produced through the Fellowship are co-published by Break The Needle and Canadian Affairs.
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News release from Alberta RCMP
Virtual Opioid Dependency Program serves vulnerable population in Red Deer
Since April 2024, your Alberta RCMP’s Community Safety and Well-being Branch (CSWB) has been piloting the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP) program in Red Deer to assist those facing opioid dependency with initial-stage intervention services. VODP is a collaboration with the Government of Alberta, Recovery Alberta, and the Alberta RCMP, and was created to help address opioid addiction across the province.
Red Deer’s VODP consists of two teams, each consisting of a police officer and a paramedic. These teams cover the communities of Red Deer, Innisfail, Blackfalds and Sylvan Lake. The goal of the program is to have frontline points of contact that can assist opioid users by getting them access to treatment, counselling, and life-saving medication.
The Alberta RCMP’s role in VODP:
- Conducting outreach in the community, on foot, by vehicle, and even UTV, and interacting with vulnerable persons and talking with them about treatment options and making VODP referrals.
- Attending calls for service in which opioid use may be a factor, such as drug poisonings, open drug use in public, social diversion calls, etc.
- Administering medication such as Suboxone and Sublocade to opioid users who are arrested and lodged in RCMP cells and voluntarily wish to participate in VODP; these medications help with withdrawal symptoms and are the primary method for treating opioid addiction. Individuals may be provided ongoing treatment while in police custody or incarceration.
- Collaborating with agencies in the treatment and addiction space to work together on client care. Red Deer’s VODP chairs a quarterly Vulnerable Populations Working Group meeting consisting of a number of local stakeholders who come together to address both client and community needs.
While accountability for criminal actions is necessary, the Alberta RCMP recognizes that opioid addiction is part of larger social and health issues that require long-term supports. Often people facing addictions are among offenders who land in a cycle of criminality. As first responders, our officers are frequently in contact with these individuals. We are ideally placed to help connect those individuals with the VODP. The Alberta RCMP helps those individuals who wish to participate in the VODP by ensuring that they have access to necessary resources and receive the medical care they need, even while they are in police custody.
Since its start, the Red Deer program has made nearly 2,500 referrals and touchpoints with individuals, discussing VODP participation and treatment options. Some successes of the program include:
- In October 2024, Red Deer VODP assessed a 35-year-old male who was arrested and in police custody. The individual was put in contact with medical care and was prescribed and administered Suboxone. The team members did not have any contact with the male again until April 2025 when the individual visited the detachment to thank the team for treating him with care and dignity while in cells, and for getting him access to treatment. The individual stated he had been sober since, saying the treatment saved his life.
- In May 2025, the VODP team worked with a 14-year-old female who was arrested on warrants and lodged in RCMP cells. She had run away from home and was located downtown using opioids. The team spoke to the girl about treatment, was referred to VODP, and was administered Sublocade to treat her addiction. During follow-up, the team received positive feedback from both the family and the attending care providers.
The VODP provides same-day medication starts, opioid treatment transition services, and ongoing opioid dependency care to people anywhere in Alberta who are living with opioid addiction. Visit vodp.ca to learn more.
“This collaboration between Alberta’s Government, Recovery Alberta and the RCMP is a powerful example of how partnerships between health and public safety can change lives. The Virtual Opioid Dependency Program can be the first step in a person’s journey to recovery,” says Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson. “By connecting people to treatment when and where they need it most, we are helping build more paths to recovery and to a healthier Alberta.”
“Part of the Alberta RCMP’s CSWB mandate is the enhancement of public safety through community partnerships,” says Supt. Holly Glassford, Detachment Commander of Red Deer RCMP. “Through VODP, we are committed to building upon community partnerships with social and health agencies, so that we can increase accessibility to supports in our city and reduce crime in Red Deer. Together we are creating a stronger, safer Alberta.”
By Alexandra Keeler
Across Canada, mobile health models are increasingly being used to offer care to rural and underserved communities
Saskatchewan has launched a small fleet of mobile wellness buses to improve access to primary health care, mental health and addiction services in the province.
The first bus began operating in Regina on Feb. 12. Another followed in Prince Albert on March 21. Saskatoon’s bus was unveiled publicly on April 9. All three are former coach buses that have been retrofitted to provide health care to communities facing barriers to access.
“Mobile health units are proven to improve outcomes for people facing barriers to healthcare,” Kayla DeMong, the executive director of addiction treatment centre Prairie Harm Reduction, told Canadian Affairs in an email.
“We fully support this innovative approach and are excited to work alongside the health bus teams to ensure the people we support receive the care they need, when and where they need it.”
Wellness buses
Like all provinces, Saskatchewan has been grappling with the opioid crisis.
In 2023, an estimated 457 individuals died from overdoses in the province. In 2024, that number fell to 346. But the province continues to struggle with fatal and non-fatal overdoses.
In late February, Saskatoon firefighters responded to more than 25 overdoses in a single 24-hour period. Just over a week later, they responded to 37 overdoses within another 24-hour window.
Saskatchewan’s wellness buses are part of the province’s plan to address these problems. In April 2025, the province announced $2.4 million to purchase and retrofit three coach buses, plus $1.5 million in annual operating funds.
The buses operate on fixed schedules at designated locations around each city. Each bus is staffed with a nurse practitioner, nurse and assessor coordinator who offer services such as overdose reversal kits, addiction medicine and mental health referrals.
“By bringing services directly to where people are, the health buses foster safer, more welcoming spaces and help build trusting relationships between community members and care providers,” said DeMong, executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction.
Saskatoon-based Prairie Harm Reduction is one of the local organizations that partners with the buses to provide additional support services. Prairie Harm Reduction provides a range of family, youth and community supports, and also houses the province’s only fixed supervised consumption site.
The mobile model
Saskatchewan is not the only province using wellness buses. Across Canada, mobile health models are increasingly being used to expand access to care in rural and underserved communities.
In Kingston, Ont., the Street Health Centre operates a retrofitted RV called PORCH (Portable Outreach Care Hub) that serves individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction.
“Our outreach services are extremely popular with our clients and community partners,” Donna Glasspoole, manager at Street Health Centre, said in an emailed statement.
“PORCH hits the road two to three days/week and offers a variety of services, which are dependent on the health care providers and community partners aboard.”
Street Health Centre also has a shuttle service that picks up clients in shelters and brings them to medical clinics or addiction medicine clinics.
The PORCH vehicles are not supported by provincial funding, but instead rely on support from the United Way and other grants. Glasspoole says the centre’s permanent location — which does receive government funding — is more cost-effective to operate.
“The vehicles are expensive to operate and our RV is not great in winter months and requires indoor parking,” she said.
Politically palatable
Many mobile health models currently do not provide controversial services such as supervised drug consumption.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority told Canadian Affairs the province’s new wellness buses will not offer supervised consumption services or safer supply, where drug users are given prescribed opioids as an alternative to toxic street drugs.
“There are no plans to provide supervised consumption services from the wellness buses,” Saskatchewan Health Authority spokesperson Courtney Markewich told Canadian Affairs in a phone call.
This limited scope may make mobile services more politically palatable in provinces that have resisted harm reduction measures.
In Ontario, some harm reduction programs have shifted to mobile models following Premier Doug Ford’s decision to suspend supervised consumption services located within 200 metres of schools and daycares.
In April, Toronto Public Health ended operations at its Victoria Street fixed consumption site, replacing it with street outreach and mobile vans.
The Ontario government’s decision to close the sites is part of a broader pivot away from harm reduction. The province is investing $378 million to transition suspended sites into 19 new “HART Hubs” that offer primary care, mental health, addictions treatment and other supports.
Glasspoole says that what matters most is not whether services are provided at fixed or mobile locations, but how care is delivered.
Models that “reduce barriers to care, [are] non-judgemental, and [are staffed by] trauma-informed providers” are what lead more people toward treatment and recovery, she said in her email.
In Saskatchewan, DeMong hopes the province’s new wellness buses help address persistent service gaps and build trust with underserved communities.
“This initiative is a vital step toward filling long-standing gaps in the continuum of care by providing low-barrier, community-based access to health-care services,” she said.
This article was produced through the Breaking Needles Fellowship Program, which provided a grant to Canadian Affairs, a digital media outlet, to fund journalism exploring addiction and crime in Canada. Articles produced through the Fellowship are co-published by Break The Needle and Canadian Affairs.
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