An Ottawa mother, who lost her daughter to addiction, is frustrated by Recovery Care’s failure to help her opioid-addicted son
Author Archives: Alexandra Keeler
Alexandra Keeler is a Toronto-based reporter focused on covering mental health, drugs and addiction, crime and social issues. Alexandra has more than a decade of freelance writing experience.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Canadian veterans battle invisible wounds of moral injury and addiction
Moral injury, a form of psychological trauma, drives many Canadian veterans to substance abuse as they struggle with inadequate support
Posted inDrugs
Red Deer’s safe injection site closure reflects Alberta’s shift to recovery model
Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction explains why the province is pursuing a recovery-focused approach to addiction — despite the critics
Posted inDrugs
New documentary exposes safer supply as gateway to teen drug use
In a new documentary, Port Coquitlam teens describe how safer supply drugs are diverted to the streets, contributing to youth drug use
Posted inDrugs
‘Culture saves lives’: B.C.’s first Indigenous youth detox program launches but faces uncertain future
Orca Lelum’s leaders say the delays they have faced launching an Indigenous youth detox program reflect broader problems with Indigenous program funding
Posted inDrugs
B.C. poll reveals clash between Indigenous views and drug policy
A supermajority of First Nations respondents disagree that criminalizing drug use is racist, challenging public health advocates’ assumptions
Posted inThe Interview
A conversation with the Alberta premier’s outgoing chief of staff
Marshall Smith, the architect of Alberta’s recovery-focused drug policies, on what he has learned as an addict and policy leader and what’s next for him
Posted inDrugs
B.C. crime survey reveals distrust in justice system, regional divides
A majority of survey respondents believe B.C. crime rates are up — and often unreported. Yet, official crime data show the opposite
Posted inDrugs
B.C. mayors voice discontent over province’s response to drug crisis
A number of B.C. mayors say the province’s drug decriminalization project has been a failure — and they are not confident involuntary care will address the problem
Posted inDrugs
‘We just hand out pills’, father of overdose victim tells MPs about safer supply programs
In a House committee meeting Tuesday, grieving father Gregory Sword provided a poignant account of the problems with safer supply