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Huggins-Rosenthal died of an overdose in February.

Photo by Jeff McIntosh / THE CANADIAN PRESS

“They’re the self-proclaimed compassionate government and really we’re just seeing no changes in terms of how addiction treatment is being offered.”

Alberta’s associate health minister said the government is working on the problem, but it can’t solve it overnight.

“I really wish that there was a quick fix for this, but unfortunately there just isn’t. I think a key thing for us to do is to continue to expand access to opioid replacement therapy as well as other treatment models so that people are able to get the treatment that they need,” said Brandy Payne.

“We also know that not everyone is ready for treatment and moving forward on harm reduction is critical so that we are able to help people stay alive another day.”

Calgary’s Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre offers an 8-to-12 month program for up to 30 addicted kids between the ages of 13 and 21, but its founder says there are many more who require treatment.

“It’s Russian roulette with these kids,” said executive director Dean Vause.

“It’s powerful and it’s killing them. It is the most painful, most horrible part of my career — dealing with a parent who has lost a kid to this ugly illness. The gravity of it is, some people are going to die from this. It’s out there and it’s real.”

Alberta’s Liberal leader, who co-chaired a government review on mental health services, said addiction needs to be dealt with immediately.

“What we have is a government that’s in denial,” said David Swann.

“We now have between 40,000 and 60,000 addicts in the province and we’re only managing about 2,000 to 3,000 in our clinics.”

Swann said Alberta spends just six per cent of its health budget on mental health and addiction, but many suffer from both. He said waiting up to six weeks for treatment is unacceptable.

“Once an addict decides to get care, they have to get in promptly — not four to six weeks after they’re ready. They could be worse off or dead in four to six weeks,” Swann said.

“For some reason the government either doesn’t have the resources to step it up or the political will.”