Locking Up the Vulnerable: Alberta’s Backwards Approach to Mental Health
Alberta is shutting down vital resources like the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, leaving vulnerable people without support and putting more at risk without a safety net.
The Alberta government is shutting down the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse, a long-standing mental health support hub, while simultaneously pouring $180 million into "Compassionate Intervention Centres"—a misleading term for incarceration facilities (jails). This shift in funding priorities raises serious concerns about the province’s approach to mental health and addiction support.
The Impact of Losing the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse
For over 30 years, the Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse has helped people recovering from mental illness transition back into the community. It has provided more than just a space—it has offered real support, from housing assistance to job placement, social connection, and nutritional programs. Now, without a funding source, it’s set to close on April 30, 2025, leaving over 150 vulnerable individuals without essential services.
A Misguided Investment in Incarceration
At the same time, the government is moving forward with its so-called "Compassionate Intervention Centres." These are not treatment facilities in the traditional sense; they are jails rebranded under softer language. Premier Danielle Smith’s government is effectively shifting support away from community-based mental health services and toward incarceration. Do we really want to live in a province where struggling individuals are criminalized instead of supported?
Youth Programs Are Being Dismantled
This isn't an isolated case. Youth programs in Grande Prairie and other communities are also being gutted, while funding flows into expanding detention facilities for young people.
Soon, children who have never been involved in the criminal justice system, but struggle with substance use, will be housed alongside hardened young offenders in the Edmonton Young Offender Centre. That’s not treatment—it’s a fast track to deeper trauma and systemic harm.
What Are We Supporting?
For rural Albertans who continue to support this government, it’s time to ask: what exactly are you backing? A government that prioritizes locking up struggling individuals over investing in the programs that could actually help them? The Ponoka Rising Sun Clubhouse is just the latest casualty in this backwards approach.
A Call to Action
This isn’t just about a single program closing—it’s about a dangerous policy shift that treats social issues as crimes. If we don’t speak up now, what comes next? Will we let Premier Smith continue down this path, or will we demand real investment in community-based support instead of incarceration?
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