The Fresh Start Recovery Centre is one of the agencies supporting people who are struggling with substance addiction in Lethbridge. (Photo: DrugRehab.ca)

By David Opinko

How Lethbridge went from Alberta’s highest rate of overdose deaths to nearly the lowest

Nov 18, 2025 | 10:56 AM

Lethbridge has seen a drastic turnaround in just the last two years in terms of the number of people dying due to drug consumption.

LNN reported on Monday that, in the first seven months of 2025, there were six fatal overdoses, marking the lowest year-to-date total in the last decade.

That represents an 80 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024 and a drop of 93 per cent compared to the year prior.

READ MORE: Zero drug overdose deaths in Lethbridge for July: report

2023 was the city’s peak as 118 people succumbed to overdoses.

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On a per capita basis, that is a rate of 110.4 deaths per 100,000 residents, by far the highest in Alberta at that time.

That has fallen to a rate of just 9.8 for January to July this year, which is virtually tied with Medicine Hat for the lowest.

Fatal overdoses in Alberta communities, 2023 vs. 2025. (Source: Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System. Compiled by LNN)

Fresh Start Recovery Centre first came to Lethbridge in 2020 when it acquired South Country, which is now known as Fresh Start-South Country (FSSC). They now also operate the Lethbridge Recovery Community, which opened its doors nearby in 2023.

FSSC Executive Director Bruce Holstead says he has seen the drug-related situation greatly improve since 2023.

“We entered into Lethbridge at the height of the opioid crisis and the overdoses. There was a certain sense of desperation for recovery in the area,” says Holstead.

“You can see change, and there’s momentum toward recovery taking place in the greater community as a result of all the initiatives that the government’s put forth.”

A spokesperson from Alberta’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction says a large part of the reason that fatal overdose numbers are falling is due to their continued investments into supports and services that make a difference in the lives of those struggling with addiction.

These include the opening of the Lethbridge Recovery Community, which has 50 beds and aims to help people address substance use, improve their overall health, and build skills to support long-term recovery.

“Provincial funding also supports a variety of medical detox, treatment and recovery options in the area, including through Recovery Alberta, Fresh Start, Southern Alcare Manor and McMan Youth, Family and Community Association. Treatment is free for all Albertans,” says the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction. “In addition, a transitional living unit is operating within the Lethbridge Correctional Centre that provides the opportunity for incarcerated individuals to undergo comprehensive and holistic addiction treatment.”

Albertans can also access addiction treatment medications through the Virtual Opioid Dependency Program. According to the government, “There’s no wait list, with treatment often starting the same day.”

Holstead praised the province’s approach to recovery-oriented care.

“It’s more of an approach of meeting people where they are at, without a doubt, and letting them know that those supports are in place. When you show them and lead them and support them along the way, individuals will follow,” he explains. “Nobody wakes up wanting to be addicted; nobody really wants to stay in that place of being addicted.”

Not only have the number of overdose deaths fallen, but we are now seeing less of a strain on local hospitals and police services.

In the second quarter of 2023, there were 431 visits to emergency departments in the South Health Zone as a result of substance use. In the same period this year, that has fallen by 61 per cent to just 167 visits.

The Lethbridge Police Service notes that crime in the city decreased by 16 per cent from 2023 to 2024, and the Crime Severity Index dropped by 19 per cent.

“While meth and fentanyl remain the most frequently used drugs in our downtown core, it’s encouraging to see overdose numbers in Lethbridge declining,” says Sgt. Ryan Darroch of the LPS Downtown Policing Unit. “We hope this period of relief allows our community time to heal and reflect on the lives impacted by the drug crisis.”

READ MORE: Lethbridge’s Crime Severity Index score down 19%

Holstead says, “We should take a moment, not to celebrate, but more in the essence to recognize that good work is being done by so many organizations in southern Alberta, and changes are occurring.”

Alberta 211 has information on available supports for things like addiction, employment, homelessness, mental health, and more.