Edmonton and Lethbridge are the first cities in Alberta to get Health Canada approval to offer safe injection sites for opioid drugs.
Alberta Associate Health Minister Brandy Payne says the decision will help save lives by reducing drug overdoses.
Payne says Health Canada is expected to make a decision about a safe injection site in Calgary by the end of the month.
She says these supervised consumption sites will also offer counselling and drug treatment programs.
Alberta reported 586 suspected opioid-related deaths in 2016.
Public health officials have said at least 2,816 Canadians died from opioid-related causes last year and that number is expected to
increase in 2017.
