Construction begins on recovery community in Siksika First Nation

Alberta's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Dan Williams (at the podium) announces details of the construction of the Siksika Recovery Community, which will be completed by fall 2025. (Supplied)

The Alberta government says construction is underway on a recovery community in the Siksika First Nation, east of Calgary, which will provide essential recovery services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous clients.

The Siksika Recovery Community is a centre, owned and operated by the band, which is equipped with 76 long-term treatment beds. It can provide care to up to 300 people each year and offer them the chance to access programs to improve their health, relationships and skills.

Clients will be able to access the recovery community free of charge for up to one year, officials said.

"Every person suffering from addiction deserves the opportunity to pursue recovery," said Alberta's Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams in a news release.

"This milestone is something to celebrate as lives can be rebuilt and people can be reconnected with their family, community and culture."

The facility is among four other recovery communities being built in partnership with other Alberta First Nations such as the Blood Tribe, Enoch Cree Nation and Tsuut'ina Nation.

The location of the fourth recovery community is yet to be announced.

The province invested $35 million into the facility and said it is addressing "a gap of support left by the federal government."

"We have a plan to not impose but propose a plan with our Indigenous partners," Williams said. "This is dramatically different from the past."

Williams said the government will be working with these Indigenous-led communities not just on the facilities but for "the entire continuum of care."

The Siksika Recovery Community is part of a larger initiative to build 11 recovery communities across the province, including two already open in Red Deer and Lethbridge, two in Calgary and Gunn expected to open in the coming months and two more in Edmonton and Grande Prairie that are still in the planning stages.

It's expected to be completed by fall 2025.