Alberta took a recovery-oriented approach to dealing with the opioid addiction crisis under Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership in 2019. By 2021, over 8,000 addiction treatment spaces had been funded.
Harm reduction advocates insisted Kenney’s approach was misguided and said lives would be lost over his refusal to embrace drug dispensaries as B.C. had. B.C.’s decriminalization strategy turned into a catastrophe and the government was forced to reverse it in early 2024. Meanwhile, in Alberta, fatal opioid overdoses fell by 55 percent in 2024. The investment in recovery centres has paid off.
