American journalists, researchers and survivors of abuse in youth residential addiction treatment centres describe blood-curdling stories of widespread sexual and physical abuse that hint at a potential outcome of the treatment infrastructure under construction in Alberta.
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A man is dead after being chased by the Edmonton Police Air-1 helicopter onto dangerous ice of the North Saskatchewan River. In July 2022, a similarly over-the-top deployment was caught on film in Calgary's Sunalta neighbourhood. Just two weeks after being directed to investigate, the Alberta Serious Incident
How a group of fundamentalists is constructing a great wooden horse standing tall on carcerality, profiteering and propaganda to deliver Compassion unto the people. The Emerald City is, on the surface, a beautiful place built from bounties buried deep in the Earth's crust, where most everyone believes in
If exploitation is the driving force of drug prohibition, privatized 'treatment' is the paved road it rolls on. So, in the spirit of knowing your enemy, a look at the business challenges faced by these organizations. This two-part series is adapted from a presentation delivered at Community Conversations:
The Alberta government is scrambling to glue together its narrative that overdose deaths can be solved through a limited scope of privatized rehab. But a live interview on CBC Calgary pulled the curtain on the strategy's naked truth. CBC Calgary's Rob Brown came prepared to his
Recovery Capital Conference has informed world-renowned recovery and harm reduction advocate Guy Felicella that he is not welcome at this year's conference. The move fits the Alberta government's pattern of controlling public drug policy discourse and stifling dissent against its abstinence-only strategy. See also: Part 1
Over a year after inking the deal, the Alberta Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction has yet to disclose the recipient of its largest contract. The recipient appears to be ROSC Solutions Group, whose owner and top staff are connected to the Premier's chief of staff and were
The upcoming Recovery Capital Conference in Calgary serves three main functions: mobilizing Alberta government policy through credible actors, repaying these actors with public funding, and recruiting for the far-right. Part 1 examines the first of these, and what happens when credibility falls short. See also: Part 2 and Part 3.
Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld spun the 2022 CPS workplace census as evidence that CPS reflects the community. But the census data tell the opposite story, revealing an impassable canyon between the demographics of Calgary Police and the city that pays their salaries. An oft-repeated principle of policing is "
Hidden census data from the the Office of the Chief at Calgary Police reveal it is dominated by non-racialized outside hires with different backgrounds and worldviews than the officers they lead, who are offered more flexibility to work from home and more overtime pay than most of their colleagues. ℹ
Drug Data Decoded has obtained Leger's raw data from the 2022 Calgary Police Workplace Census. Despite a seeming attempt to shield them from public scrutiny, statistics from the Office of the Chief were deciphered and reveal a leadership team at odds with its uniformed officers and the city
Edmonton's Boyle-McCauley neighbourhood suffered 155 community member deaths between just two service agencies in the last three months, coinciding with mass displacement of encampment dwellers. During this time, a demolition permit was granted, presumably to owner Katz Group Real Estate, for the former Boyle Street Community Services building.
The lack of accountability in the “Alberta Model” for dealing with drug use: teaser from a long-form piece in Alberta Views, online now. Since submitting this story for publication with Alberta Views, Drug Data Decoded has uncovered additional unsettling information about how the Alberta government may be hiding outcome data
Peer-reviewed study shows 49% reduction in people experiencing drug poisonings, with odds of a poisoning that requires naloxone reduced by almost two-thirds. What political dark magic is preventing the rapid rollout of non-profit, non-medicalized safe supply while Canada drowns in drug poisonings? The Drug User Liberation Front (DULF), criminalized and
Red Deer city council has made history as the first in Canada voting to close an overdose prevention site. Ignoring decades of research, Mayor Ken Johnston asserted this will set the groundwork for the city to become "free from addiction." People across the country should pay attention. It
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Pairing unjustified deposits with mass evictions of residents, transitional recovery facilities appear to be placing profit before people. A widespread practice at sober living facilities across western Canada compels residents to place a “sobriety deposit” before gaining access to housing. However, according to sources who have resided at sober living