Alberta’s rural communities grapple with alcohol harm amid drug focus

published on November 25, 2025 by Trent Wilkie in St. Albert Gazette

Alberta government investments report billions on drug recovery infrastructure and enforcement over the past three years, while investing far less in alcohol harm reduction, leaving rural communities with education campaigns instead of treatment options.

“Alcohol shatters families and destroys communities. It is a life destroyer,” said Guy Felicella, peer clinical advisor with Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Centre on Substance Use. “It is the main drug of many terrible things.”

Each year in rural Alberta, according to Statistics Canada, nearly 90 people are killed and 1,330 injured in crashes involving a drunk driver. Domestic violence rates are 75 per cent higher, and over half of violent crimes involve family or intimate partners. Isolation and attitudes towards alcohol use affect violent crime rates, making them close to 50 per cent higher than in urban areas. In all, alcohol is a leading cause of impaired driving, fatal crashes, addiction and gender-based violence in rural communities…