The Alberta government is spending millions to create new spaces for youth addiction recovery at an Edmonton jail.
On Tuesday, the province announced it was creating 105 treatment beds in a new facility built into the Edmonton Young Offender Centre, located in north Edmonton next to the remand centre.
The Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will cost $23 million and bring the total of youth treatment spaces in Alberta to 170.
“Significant renovations are in the process of taking place, so that it can be a friendly environment for youth,” said Dan Williams, minister of mental health and addiction.
The new live-in facility is expected to open in 2026, and the province said it will be able to treat around 300 youth each year.
It will offer counselling, continuing education and access to opioid agonist treatments like Suboxone.
Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services, said the new spaces offer hope to parents who have children struggling with addiction.
“Addiction is often a cycle of recidivism, with individuals struggling to overcome their addiction only to relapse and start the cycle again. Our government will not give up on our kids,” Ellis said.
Patients will include minors undergoing involuntary treatment as ordered under the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act.
The new facility will be completely separate from the corrections centre, the province said.