$5.3 million to bolster substance addictions programs in Alberta

“Too many lives have been lost to this crisis, leaving too many families and friends to grieve. Today, our government is taking further action by investing in projects that will support people dealing with problematic substance use across the country,” says Bennett. “I thank all the organizations receiving funding for their dedication in decreasing substance use harms, preventing overdose, increasing safer supply initiatives, and reducing stigma.”

The Kainai Food Bank Society is one of the local recipients. A grant of $935,117 over 18 months will be used for the Blood Tribe Harm Reduction Project.

Under this initiative, the Kainai Food Bank Society will train local people with lived experiences to become peer support workers, providing trauma-informed care rooted in Blackfoot culture.

“Programming will be evidence-based and patient-centered with an emphasis on harm reduction, peer and Elder support, and connection to community resources,” reads a media release from the federal government.

As provided by a media release from the federal government, the following organizations in Alberta are receiving funding:

Capacity Building for AAWEAR’s Peer Outreach Harm Reduction Teams
Alberta Addicts who Educate and Advocate Responsibly – Calgary, AB
- $378,444 in addition to the $300,000 already received from SUAP, to build capacity of the peer outreach staff through ongoing enhanced education and training. The additional funding expands the reach from suburban areas of Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge into more rural communities and will develop new tools to expand virtual capacity. The funding will allow the organization to hire an engagement coordinator who will expand support to include workers in trades.
CUPS’ Peer-Driven Enhanced OAT Program
CUPS Calgary Society – Calgary, AB
- $1,141,921 over 18 months to expand CUPS’ existing Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) program based in Calgary with a new, lower barrier mobile service that can provide OAT services and access to peer recovery coaches. The target population is individuals 18 and up experiencing economic insecurity, especially those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. The project aims to connect with the hard-to-reach opioid users, who tend to face barriers to recovery.
Boyle Street Non-Residential Managed Alcohol Program
Boyle Street Services Society – Edmonton, AB
- $261,802 in addition to the $592,899 already received from SUAP, to deliver a non-residential managed alcohol program (MAP) for people who consume illicit alcohol such as rubbing alcohol and non-beverage alcohol (NBA) use, in inner city Edmonton. MAP is a treatment option for people living with severe alcohol use disorder, which can help stabilize and prevent health and social harms by providing controlled amounts of alcohol at specific times to help manage alcohol withdrawal symptoms. The program has three streams: peer meetings/mentorship, a brew-co-op, and an alcohol exchange program for beverage-quality alcohol. The additional funding will be used to expand reach and double the number of participants, to include cultural and therapeutic supports and to add distilled vodka and whiskey to the program.
Journeys – Addiction Supports for Women
McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association – Calgary, AB
- $186,484 in addition to the $713,530 already received from SUAP, to provide support to women whose use substances and are on the wait list for long-term residential addictions treatment at the Aventa Center of Excellence for Women with Addiction, a residential treatment center in Calgary. The program focusses on recovery and sobriety related to the use of alcohol, but participants receiving support for other substance use as well. The additional funding will expand the target participant demographic to include women aged 16-24.
Chemsex Education Project
SafeLink Alberta Society – Calgary, AB
- $108,159 over 18 months to advance policies and practices to help service providers, including health, social, and harm reduction professionals work together effectively in order to provide tools to reduce harms related to substance use and mental health within the gay/bisexual/men community. The service providers will receive a training curriculum and will provide pre and post feedback regarding its content and delivery.
Acahkawsis (star child) program
Fort McMurray 468 First Nation – Fort McMurray, AB
- $599,338 over 18 months to develop an Indigenous-led in-community treatment program based on traditional values that will allow individuals to recover on their traditional lands and within their communities, which are the Fort McMurray 468 First Nation, and the local Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Hoping to develop a model that could be used across Canada, the program will leverage intensive case management to provide wraparound support and facilitate multi-level interventions through therapy sessions and teaching by local Elders.
The Blood Tribe Harm Reduction Project
Kainai Food Bank Society – Standoff, AB
- $935,117 over 18 months to train local people with lived experience to become peer support workers provide trauma-informed care support rooted in the Blackfoot culture. Programming will be evidence-based and patient-centered with an emphasis on harm reduction, peer and Elder support, and connection to community resources.
On the Land Wellness Camps
Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council – Atikameg, AB
- $148,809 over 18 months to support wellness and culture learning land camps for the member nations of the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council in Northern Alberta to address trauma and grief that contribute to substance use. The target population will be individuals and families at risk of substance-related overdoses, experiencing domestic violence, and facing poverty or housing insecurity.
NAM Therapeutic Communities for Healthy Families
Northeast Addiction and Mental Health Centre for Holistic Recovery – Calgary, AB
- $583,201 over 17 months to provide integrated health, housing, and supportive services to Calgary’s vulnerable South Asian families, including recovery coaching for people who use drugs. Families supported by this project include immigrants, those who have a background of multi-generational poverty, or who experience homelessness or housing insecurity while experiencing substance use and/or co-occurring disorders.
Bearspaw First Nation Substance and Addiction Response and Care
Stoney Trail Wellness Center Eden Valley – Eden Valley 216, AB
- $980,028 over 18 months to support a mobile crisis response team trained to attend to emergencies in Bearspaw First Nation on the Eden Valley reserve. The team will conduct non-crisis interventions, respond to overdoses, and teach harm-reduction techniques. The project will also provide aftercare to those who have experienced the trauma of an overdose and to the crisis response team.

In the first three months of 2022, the provincial government reported that 444 Albertans lost their lives due to illicit drug overdose deaths, including 37 in Lethbridge. Both of those numbers constitute new records.

by David Opinko

$5.3 million to bolster substance addictions programs in Alberta

What's Happening