Alberta opioid overdose deaths dip to end 2024; Compassionate Intervention Act still expected

Overdose deaths in Alberta took one of the biggest drops to end 2024 versus the rest of Canada.

The latest data from the province shows 69 people died from opioids in September 2024 — that’s about a 50 per cent decrease than 2023.

It’s the same double-digit decrease for August at 39 per cent, July at 40.5, and June at 53.

Across 2024, the decrease was 38 per cent compared to all of 2023.

“It is dramatic, and noteworthy,” said Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “I’m cautiously optimistic that this is going to continue.”

Alberta’s addictions minister is parading the province’s recovery model as the reason deaths are going down.

“There’s no doubt that it matters whether or not your laws and your government, and your policy enables more addiction or tells you ‘there’s an alternative to addiction’ and the carnage and the death that it rots,” added Williams.

Opioid deaths decreasing is a story across most of Canada, but at a much lower rate.

B.C reported a nine per cent decrease year over year, while Ontario saw a 27 per cent decrease throughout 2024.

One addictions specialist says opening recovery communities is one thing helping Alberta lower deaths faster.

“The truth is we need to use every intervention we can that’s evidence based,” said Dr. Monty Ghosh, University of Alberta. “There’s strong evidence for a lot of these interventions.”

“We need to have all of it available,” he added. “All the time, on demand.”

Ghosh says that includes treatment beds, treatment programs, and supervised consumption sites.

The province hopes the decrease is not a blip.

2025 is when the province is expected to introduce the Compassionate Intervention Act which would give anyone power to force someone going through addiction into treatment if they’re a danger to themselves or others.

“It’s not compassionate to leave them,” said Williams. “To live in the pain and that constant cycle of overdose and near-death experiences because of their drug use.”

But Ghosh says you can offer incentives like pay for treatment instead of using force.

“It can be as simple as $20 a day,” he said. “Which is how much we pay a lot of people who are on welfare programs for example Alberta Works.”

This year, recovery communities continue being built in Edmonton, Calgary, and several First Nations communities — moving the so-called “Alberta Model” forward.