FoM says Alberta’s ‘compassionate care’ plan anything but

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on February 26, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

In response to the Government of Alberta’s release on Monday regarding involuntary addiction treatment centres, Friends of Medicare has said there is “nothing compassionate” about the plan.

On Monday, the province announced a $180-million investment over three years for two ‘compassionate care centres’, which will be related to upcoming legislation.

The legislation in question would allow for “family members, guardians, health-care professionals, police or peace officers to request an addiction treatment order for Albertans who are a danger to themselves or others due to their addiction or substance use,” said the province.

The two centres, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary, will both have the capacity for 150 beds in order to “provide proper health care for these patients with complex addiction needs,” and are expected to be completed in 2029.

However, Friends of Medicare believes this announcement is an attempt to “change the channel on the ongoing scandal around surgical procurement allegations.”

“What we saw (Monday) was a hastily planned press conference ahead of this week’s budget with a promise to spend almost $200 million, with almost no further details. Albertans watching were left with more questions than answers on this major spending announcement,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare.

He questioned if these will be ran as part of the health-care system, corrections system, or by a private operator, and called for clarity surrounding their procurement practices and other aspects of the announcement. The province said Monday the centre would fall under the umbrella of newly formed Recovery Alberta.

In addition, Friends of Medicare expressed disappointment in the commitment to move forward with this legislation, and said this is “removing the patient’s right to consent and allowing for involuntary confinement against an individual’s will.”

“This plan is anything but compassionate. The government is stubbornly moving forward with this ideological legislation despite a lack of evidence to support forced treatment. In fact, there is evidence to show this approach could very well result in further harm and more fatalities,” said Gallaway. “While at the same time, we regularly hear stories from Albertans who voluntarily seek out mental health or addictions support, but can’t find it or are told they’ll have to wait. The real issue we need to tackle is a lack of access to timely care, not a push to further criminalize those who use drugs.”

Galloway called for greater addictions care, confirmed to be the public health-care system, and said, “The combination of forced treatment legislation, along with the potential for these new facilities to be in private hands, shows this government is more interested in creating a profitable market for private recovery businesses than providing compassionate, evidence-based addictions care to Albertans.”

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