Edmonton jail being renovated for youth addiction treatment centre [Video]

The Alberta government is spending millions to create new spaces for youth addiction recovery at an Edmonton jail. 

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On Tuesday, the province announced it was creating a new facility with 105 treatment beds built into the Edmonton Young Offender Centre, located in north Edmonton next to the Remand Centre.

The Northern Alberta Youth Recovery Centre will cost $23 million and bring the total of youth treatment spaces in Alberta to 170. It’s expected to open in 2026.

The new live-in facility will be completely separate from the jail, the province said, and will be able to treat around 300 patients each year.

“We found existing infrastructure that we could repurpose that is going to have extensive renovations,” said Dan Williams, minister of mental health and addictions. “We’re going to be done years faster than we would be otherwise.”

“Should we …