UPDATED: Alberta government spends $35 million on recovery community in Grande Prairie

The Alberta government is providing up to $35 million to build the Grande Prairie Recovery Community (GPRC) to what it says will give more northern Albertans the chance to pursue recovery. Over the past five years, the Alberta government said it has been working to establish the Alberta Recovery Model (ARM)— a system of care focused on supporting people suffering from addictions or mental illnesses as they pursue recovery. Under the ARM, Alberta has removed user fees for treatment, increased treatment capacity by more than 55%, and launched a program to offer same-day access to addiction treatment medication. “Our government is proud to invest in treatment and recovery, as it is the most compassionate, dignified approach in supporting people suffering from the disease of addiction,” said Alberta Mental Health and Addictions Minister Dan Williams in a Friday press release.“I look forward to seeing the positive change in northern Alberta as families are reunited and healed from the pain caused by addiction.”The Alberta government said a key focus of the ARM is continuing to build capacity for long-term treatment to allow people to reintegrate into society free from addictions. To do this, it said it is building 11 recovery communities, which are facilities that provide treatment for up to one year. The ARM focuses on ensuring people can overcome their addictions and learn how to live in recovery. By spending up to $35 million, the Alberta government said it will build a recovery community in Grande Prairie to offer more access to addiction treatment to save lives. “Building the new recovery community in Grande Prairie will provide crucial access to addiction and mental health supports for northern Albertans,” said Alberta Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie. “We are committed to delivering public infrastructure to accommodate recovery communities where and when they are needed.”The Alberta government went on to say the GPRC will provide 50 long-term treatment beds where clients can stay up to one year, accessing counselling, opioid agonist treatment medications, and programs to try to improve their lives. As part of a commitment to removing barriers to care, it said this treatment is free for all Albertans. Recovery communities in Lethbridge and Red Deer opened their doors last year. Construction of the GPRC is expected to be complete by early 2027 and start accepting its first clients soon after. Williams followed up by saying he worked with Alberta Infrastructure on cost estimates in what he expects to see. “Happily, we’ve built two of these facilities and a number of others are already underway, so we have a very good idea of the cost and we’ve priced it out,” he said. “So we’re very comfortable and confident that $35 million is the right amount of money we need for this 50-bed facility.” At the moment, he said the GPRC is a large open field. While a facility will be built on the field, its space could lead to a future expansion.Williams became emotional at the Alberta Municipalities Spring 2024 Municipal Leaders Caucus in March when speaking about the increase in funding his ministry has received since 2019. READ MORE: Alberta cabinet ministers vow municipal conduct reforms, recovery communities at conference“This government takes incredibly seriously this crisis around addiction and this crisis people face in their homes with mental health challenges,” he said. “On this piece, particularly around overdoses, the metric we need to look at is are we getting people treatment.”

UPDATED: Alberta government spends $35 million on recovery community in Grande Prairie

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