The government of Alberta is shutting down the province’s first-ever supervised drug consumption site at the end of June.
Rick Wilson, Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, confirmed the closure of the Calgary facility during a press conference. The site, located in the Sheldon Chumir Centre in the Beltline, opened in 2017 to address the opioid crisis but has faced persistent criticism from local residents and businesses citing increased social disorder and crime.
In place of the supervised site, the province will deploy 24/7 street outreach teams to connect individuals with immediate assistance. Wilson emphasized that the strategy shifts focus from enabling consumption to facilitating recovery. Critics argue this approach pushes overdoses into public spaces, potentially increasing fatalities.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas noted that while health care is a provincial jurisdiction, the city remains focused on coordinating police services and social agencies to address public safety. Farkas advocated for a net gain in recovery bed availability to serve vulnerable populations effectively.
Wilson highlighted upcoming infrastructure expansions, including a 75-bed recovery unit near Tsuut’ina Nation and new facilities at Kainai and Siksika First Nations. This closure follows the shutdown of sites in Red Deer and Lethbridge, leaving only two facilities in Edmonton and one in Grande Prairie operational across Alberta.