Study finds no spike in deaths after Red Deer OPS closure: Wilson

Alberta’s mental health and addiction minister says a new peer-reviewed study found no increase in overdose deaths or health-care use following the closure of a supervised overdose consumption site (OPS) in Red Deer.

In a March 11 statement, Mental Health and Addiction Minister Rick Wilson said research by the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence, published in the journal Addiction, examined outcomes after the city’s overdose prevention site shut down.

Wilson said the study found no rise in mortality, emergency department visits or EMS calls among former site users. He added more individuals who had used the site entered opioid agonist treatment following its closure.

The province said the research tracked individuals using health-care data, made possible by Alberta’s requirement that drug consumption services collect patient identifiers. That approach allowed researchers to follow outcomes over time rather than rely on broader community trends.

Wilson said the findings support Alberta’s recovery-oriented approach to addiction care, arguing that accessible treatment and support can lead more people toward recovery.

The centre said it will continue to monitor long-term outcomes.

Source: Government of Alberta media release, March 11, 2026.