CALGARY -- Premier Jason Kenney announced on Saturday three abstinence-based treatment centres would receive $4.3 million in funding each year over the next three years.

The funding is expected to increase capacity by more than 2,000 beds over the course of the years.

Lloydminster-based Thorpe Recovery centre will see $2.2 million per year, Fresh Start Recovery Centre will receive $1.56 million annually, and the Sunrise Healing Lodge Society will get $518,000 each year.

"Increasing our operational funding to 30 beds means that we can open those beds up to any Albertan regardless of where they are coming from," said Stacey Petersen, executive director of Fresh Start Recovery Centre, a men's only facility.

It has historically operated with privately raised funds for its 50-bed treatment centre off 41 Ave N.E.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the premier spoke out criticising Alberta's safe drug consumption sites.

"Facilitating addiciton is not a way out of addition. Treatment and recovery are the way out of addiction. That's why our emphasis is on treatment and recovery," Kenney said to reporters on Saturday at the Fresh Start Recovery Centre.

He added he doesn't outright oppose some forms of harm reduction as part of the recovery continuum.

"Giving somebody a needle to inject themselves with something that could kill them, I think, is misplaced. There is a place for harm recovery; we will continue to support aspects of harm recovery," Kenney said.

Alumni of the treatment program say they are thrilled there will be more capacity to help others along their journey to sobriety.

"As far as my recovery is concerned and where I'm at, everything that I have I owe to Fresh Start," said Chase Kronk.

In the summer, the Alberta government appointed an expert panel so study the social impacts of supervised injection site locations.

A report of the findings are expected in early 2020.

The premier told reporters on Saurday the preliminary data is "startling," and will help him inform funding allocation to the sites going forward.