Supervised consumption sites in Lethbridge and Calgary are expected to close in the coming weeks. A judge has dismissed an injunction intended to try to keep the sites open. Alberta’s first supervised consumption opened at the Sheldon M. Chumir Health Centre in Calgary in 2016. Lethbridge received its mobile overdose prevention trailer in 2020 following the closure of the ARCHES site. The province will now close both sites on June 30. Three sites in Edmonton and one in Red Deer have already been shut down. Lethbridge’s mobile overdose prevention trailer was used more than 15,000 times between October and December of 2025. Harm reduction advocates believe the closure will lead to a spike in overdose deaths. “I think it’s very dangerous. I mean, the overdose crisis is still continuing,” said Amber Jensen with Moms Stop the Harm. “People can’t access recovery. They’re calling it Recovery Alberta now, but people can’t access recovery, housing and treatment, healing—wherever they’re at—if they haven’t survived an overdose.” The province’s Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions says it is committed to addiction recovery. It said in a statement, “We’re pleased with the court’s decision and believe Albertans should feel safe where they live and work, and businesses should be able to operate within safe communities.”
