Alberta to Close Two Supervised Drug Sites by June

The Alberta government announced plans Friday to close two supervised drug consumption sites in Calgary and Lethbridge by the end of June, marking a further shift toward a recovery-focused approach to addiction amid the ongoing opioid crisis.

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis and Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson detailed the decision during a news conference in Calgary. The closures target the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in Calgary, the province's first such facility, and a mobile service in Lethbridge. Funding from these sites will transition to expanded treatment and recovery services, Ellis said. "People will not be left without support," he told reporters.

Supervised consumption sites, which provide a medically monitored space for people to use illicit drugs and receive immediate help in case of overdoses, were introduced in Alberta starting in 2017 under the previous NDP government. At their peak, seven such facilities operated across the province in response to rising overdose deaths. The Calgary site opened that fall, followed by others in cities including Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge.

The province has already shuttered four...