Alberta addictions minister admits supervised consumption claim was wrong; critics call it ‘intentionally misleading’
Posted Apr 28, 2026 4:03 pm.
Last Updated Apr 28, 2026 6:46 pm.
An Alberta minister who appeared to make a bombshell revelation last week in the legislature about the dire state of the province’s supervised consumption sites is now admitting he was wrong.
Critics are clamouring for Rick Wilson, Alberta’s mental health and addiction minister, to formally apologize or be relieved of his portfolio.
Last Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Wilson shared a personal horror story about what’s going on in supervised consumption sites.
“I’m still having nightmares about this, Mr. Speaker,” he said. “We are not helping people. We are not helping people.
“People that are in there, I’ve actually seen people collapse and die right in front of me, Mr. Speaker. These places are not helping people.”
The Alberta NDP immediately called Wilson out on that statement.
“Nobody has ever died in an Alberta supervised consumption service,” said Janet Eremenko, the Alberta NDP mental health and addictions shadow minister.
Indeed, no deaths have ever been recorded at any supervised consumption site across Canada.
“It is simply untrue and I would argue that he is intentionally misleading Albertans,” Eremenko said.
Minister Wilson is now admitting he was wrong.
“To clarify the minister’s comments, drug consumption sites keep people trapped in addiction. When people are injecting and then collapsing, it appears as though they are dying,” his office told CityNews.
The NDP is doubting Wilson’s ability to keep running his ministry.
“He is responsible for over a billion dollars of taxpayer dollars,” Eremenko said. “If he can’t accurately speak to the whole breadth of services that are happening in there, then I think it begs the question as to whether or not he should keep the job.”
READ: No link between supervised consumption sites and crime rates: study
Alberta health-care advocacy group Friends of Medicare is calling on Wilson to formally apologize or resign.
“He lied to the public about something that didn’t happen,” said Chris Gallaway, the group’s executive director.
Friends of Medicare double checked Health Canada data to confirm there is no record of anyone ever dying inside a Canadian supervised consumption site.
“The fact we have our sitting government and our sitting minister playing into fears and stereotypes around services, rather than providing factual information, is very concerning,” Gallaway said. “Ultimately, Albertans deserve evidence-based health care, and they deserve addictions care to be treated as health care.”
Wilson’s office told CityNews he was unavailable for an interview Tuesday to explain his comments. Alberta MLAs are on a constituency break this week and will be back in the legislature on Monday.
CityNews’ request for comment from the premier’s office went unanswered.
