A rendering of the new Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre
The Alberta Government has announced a new facility with 105 treatment beds built into the Edmonton Young Offender Centre, located in north Edmonton next to the Remand Centre.
According to the Government, The Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will give up to 300 youth every year an opportunity to pursue recovery, and would be completely separate from the Remand, with no shared living areas.
Significant renovation plans include a separate entrance, refreshing interior design elements, building new clinical, educational and office spaces, and tailoring the units for live-in addiction treatment.
During their stay, participants will undergo individual, group and family counselling, and have access to opioid agonist treatment medications and other programs to help improve all aspects of their lives. This includes skills development, relationship building and opportunities to continue education. Parents and caregivers will remain active participants in treatment while youth reside at the centre.
Around a quarter of the beds will also be reserved for minors undergoing involuntary treatment as ordered under the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act, which allows legal guardians to use a court order to force their child to undergo 15 days of detox and assessment.
At a press conference, Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams addressed questions from media, including concerns Youth would be going into a jail setting
The Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will cost $23 million and is expected to open in 2026.
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