CALGARY(CITYNEWS) – Red Deer will be the location for one of five drug treatment courts outside of Calgary and Edmonton. A previously announced program will be set up in Lethbridge, while the other three are still yet to be determined, according to the province.
The court will be part of the Alberta government’s four-year investment of up to $20 million toward expanding the program in the province.
The expansion is to “reduce crime by offering treatment to those struggling with addiction to help get their lives back on track,” said Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General in a statement.
It comes with a $50 million budget increase for Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) to “disrupt and dismantle,” organized crime. With the increase, three new investigators in Red Deer will be hired.
Red Deer’s mayor Tara Veer is in support of the decision to make her city the home to the new court.
“With the significant public safety and health issues our community and region are facing, this will help to break the systemic cycle of addiction and crime as a much-needed alternative legal mechanism, as well as alleviate backlog pressures currently facing our justice system locally,” said Veer.
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Edmonton got its first drug treatment court in 2005, Calgary got its first in 2007. Part of the $20 million investment will be used to double their capacities and accept 80 participants per year.
The new drug treatment court in Red Deer is expected to be operational by late 2021.
