Alberta introduces controversial involuntary addictions treatment bill
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The Alberta government introduced its long-promised and controversial bill on Tuesday to force people with severe substance addictions into involuntary treatment.
Bill 53, the Compassionate Intervention Act, lays out the criteria, guidelines and process for a family member or guardian, health-care professional or police officer to get someone into treatment.
"This program is not for the vast majority of Albertans who suffer from addiction," Dan Williams, Alberta's minister of mental health and addictions, told a news conference in Edmonton.
"This program is also not a criminal justice program. This is a health-care program … health care should lead to healing, and not harming those who suffer from addiction."
The government intends to start opening compassionate intervention beds in existing facilities next year.
Construction will start in 2026 on dedicated facilities for northern and southern Alberta. Both are expected to open by 2029.
If the bill becomes law, it will be possible to fill out an online application to have someone apprehended.
An independent compassionate intervention commission will be responsible for making legally binding treatment decisions.
If a lawyer on the commission decides that the subject has shown that he or she is in danger of causing severe harm to themselves or to others, a police officer would apprehend them and take them to a compassionate intervention centre for a full health assessment and detox.
A hearing before the entire three-person commission — made up of a lawyer, physician and member of the public — would be required to occur within 72 hours.
The commission members would have to agree unanimously to either send the person to a secure compassionate intervention treatment facility for a maximum of three months, send them to a community-based recovery or addiction centre for up to six months, or discharge them completely.
The bill says care plans would be reviewed every three weeks over the process. Subjects of the orders could appeal decisions. They could also ask for legal counsel or a mental-health patient advocate to represent them at the hearing.
The commission would review progress of secure facility patients at the end of their term. They could then be discharged to a recovery community.
Under the law, if passed, a patient won't be able to refuse medications that the commission has decided they will take to treat their addiction.
Commission decisions could be challenged in court.
Premier Danielle Smith said the government is taking care with the legislation.
"We put forward enough protections to not only be compliant with the Alberta Bill of Rights, but also Section 1 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Smith said Tuesday.
"We'll make sure that we're cautious as we go forward, but we also know that this is something that needs to be done."
The government intends to have the act also apply to minors who be sent to a youth recovery centre in Edmonton that will open next year.
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