Alberta Premier Danielle Smith answers questions at a news conference in Calgary, on Feb. 19.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Alberta says it will build two involuntary care centres for people with severe drug addictions, laying the foundation for the first legislation of its kind in Canada that would allow adults to be forced into treatment without their consent.
Premier Danielle Smith and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Dan Williams said, at a news conference on Monday, that what they are calling “compassionate intervention centres” are going to be built in Calgary and Edmonton, each with a 150-bed capacity. Ms. Smith said construction will begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2029.
The United Conservative Party government is expected to table its legislation on involuntary care sometime this year. The Globe and Mail revealed roughly two years ago that Alberta planned to bring forward a law that could force people into drug treatment. There are still many questions on how it will be implemented, but officials have said the bill will allow family members or guardians, health care professionals and law enforcement the right to refer adults into treatment if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others.
Alberta’s plan has come under intense criticism from experts in addictions, law and criminology who argue that it infringes on people’s Charter-protected rights and could actually increase the risk of harm.
Ms. Smith on Monday pointed to the threat of U.S. tariffs and said past policies in Canada on dealing with addiction are partly to blame. She also spoke of the toll on families.
“If Canada does not willingly take steps to get this crisis under control and stop the flow of deadly drugs, such as fentanyl, the U.S. will impose tariffs to force us into responsible actions,” she said.
“Bringing people out of addiction would reduce demand and help ease these tensions – and it’s the compassionate step to take. Every Albertan deserves a full and productive life, which is impossible when addiction has taken over.”
Opinion: Involuntary treatment for severe addiction is better than doing nothing
If the legislation passes, it would be the first involuntary treatment law in Canada that targets addiction specifically and affects a broader population. Some provinces, including Alberta, already use mental-health law to force people into drug treatment without court orders in especially severe situations – but otherwise, adults can refuse help. Since 2006, Alberta has allowed parents or legal guardians to place youth into treatment.
British Columbia has said it will expand involuntary care for people with concurrent addiction, mental illness and severe brain injuries through existing mental-health legislation. Premier David Eby has also said that he will introduce legislation aimed at compelling youth into treatment.
Elaine Hyshka, associate professor at the school of public health at the University of Alberta, is a critic of the Alberta government’s plan. She said the province has yet to provide any evidence that compulsory treatment works.
“Given that we are talking about significant deprivation of liberty and infringement of people’s rights, I think we need to know that these treatment programs are safe and effective,” she said.
Dr. Hyshka said that she hears consistently from families and others in the field that there are still long wait times for access to the voluntary treatment system, including for detox, short– and long-term bed-based programs. “For me, the main question is: Why are we now focused on expanding access to involuntary treatment?” she said.
Individuals would need to meet specific criteria in Alberta for forced care, the details of which have not been released. Decisions on eligibility will be made by a commission, which will include lawyers, physicians, members of the public and potentially Indigenous elders, according to the government. The facilities will provide detox, counselling and therapy services.
Ms. Smith said the province is creating an advisory committee to guide the implementation of involuntary care. She said she has also directed Mr. Williams to identify 100 beds in existing facilities across Alberta that could be used while the new facilities are under construction.
The province, in a news release, said safeguards are being built into the coming legislation to “ensure individual rights and freedoms are protected.” It said individuals will have access to legal support and a health advocate and would have the ability to appeal.
Five supporters of the legislation, including Tsuut’ina First Nation Minor Chief Leon Littlelight and a parent whose adult son is struggling with substance use, joined the Premier and Mr. Williams at the news conference. Amy Schiffner said her son has been dealing with mental-health and addiction challenges for the last seven years and has attended numerous detox and residential treatment centres.
“As a mother, I should have the ability to ask for my son to receive secure addiction treatment as one would for a loved one facing psychiatric challenges,” Ms. Schiffner said. “We must intervene to help people like my son reclaim their lives.”
On average, four Albertans die each day from drug poisonings.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the government was expected to table the legislation on Tuesday. This version has been corrected.