Janet French · CBC News · Posted: Apr 09, 2024 5:17 PM MDT | Last Updated: April 9
Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/province-says-new-crown-corporation-for-addictions-research-will-be-independent-objective-1.7168783?_cldee=el5FyM76NFM3TZk4tbN8_xdD6RgOI2U6fuJ9xFF90sxar3-6g-td8CRd4Oi7yUyo&recipientid=contact-e551c9199c4ce8118147480fcff4b171-48063ee4d27e4e31afbd73d28af1189b&esid=e89bcb8d-4af7-ee11-a1fe-0022483bcb6b
A proposed new Crown corporation for evaluating Alberta’s approach to addictions and mental health will be allowed to publish findings the government disagrees with, officials say.
“Whatever evidence comes out of the best possible research is what I, the minister, and we, the government, have to be listening to,” said Dan Williams, minister of mental health and addictions in a news conference on Tuesday.
An hour later, Williams tabled a bill in the legislature to create the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE), an organization that will evaluate Alberta’s approach to combating mental health and addiction problems.
Bill 17, the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence Act, would create a Crown corporation governed by a five-member, government-appointed board, to be solely funded by the Alberta government.
In a background technical briefing, officials said the legislation includes guardrails to prevent partnerships with drug companies looking to conduct profit-driven research.
Williams told reporters that CoRE, which is planned to be based in Calgary, will partner with universities and other institutions to conduct research studies.
CoRE would be modelled after the Health Quality Council of Alberta, which has a similar mandate to evaluate provincial programs, recommend best practices, and conduct research on the province’s health-care system.
Its creation coincides with the government’s move to break Alberta Health Services into four new organizations, including Recovery Alberta, which will deliver mental health and addictions services. The government has not yet tabled a bill to create Recovery Alberta, but that is expected this spring.