Kate Colizza
@katecolizza.bsky.social
Harm reduction saves lives. General Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine.
Pinned
Kate Colizza
@katecolizza.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Full sketch from my profile - an old piece but sharing again here 💜
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Edmonton has had a disturbingly high number of frostbite amputations the last two winters. With freezing temps on the way, both the City and the Government of Alberta must do more to prevent people from freezing in the cold. edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu... #ableg #yegcc
Opinion: Edmonton doesn't have to be the frostbite capital of the world
Severe frostbite injuries are entirely preventable - together, let’s work towards a city where no one gets left out in the cold.
edmontonjournal.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Edmonton has had a disturbingly high number of frostbite amputations the last two winters. With freezing temps on the way, both the City and the Government of Alberta must do more to prevent people from freezing in the cold. edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu... #ableg #yegcc
Reposted by Kate Colizza
BREAKING WIN for PWUD: Supreme Court of Canada rules against the Saskatchewan government and police attempt to claw back the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in R v Wilson. Pivot argued, and the court agreed, the law protects against simple possession convictions, charges, AND arrests at ODs.
decisions.scc-csc.ca
October 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
BREAKING WIN for PWUD: Supreme Court of Canada rules against the Saskatchewan government and police attempt to claw back the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in R v Wilson. Pivot argued, and the court agreed, the law protects against simple possession convictions, charges, AND arrests at ODs.
Reposted by Kate Colizza
In 2022, a group of organizations penned an open letter demanding transparency on substance use programs in Alberta. The government said it was funding My Recovery Plan to accomplish this.
Now, they’re quietly ending that program after apparently figuring out it’s not evidence-based.
Now, they’re quietly ending that program after apparently figuring out it’s not evidence-based.
SCOOP
Alberta's Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is quietly shelving a personal data-harvesting app developed through sole-sourced contracts starting in 2021.
The move coincides with reported scrutiny of ministry spending by the Auditor General. 1/🧵
drugdatadecoded.ca/province-to-...
Alberta's Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is quietly shelving a personal data-harvesting app developed through sole-sourced contracts starting in 2021.
The move coincides with reported scrutiny of ministry spending by the Auditor General. 1/🧵
drugdatadecoded.ca/province-to-...
Province to abandon My Recovery Plan amid Auditor General snooping
Alberta's Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is quietly terminating its contract with a personal data-harvesting app and replacing it with a publicly-owned 'bed availability dashboard.' The move ...
drugdatadecoded.ca
August 20, 2025 at 6:31 PM
In 2022, a group of organizations penned an open letter demanding transparency on substance use programs in Alberta. The government said it was funding My Recovery Plan to accomplish this.
Now, they’re quietly ending that program after apparently figuring out it’s not evidence-based.
Now, they’re quietly ending that program after apparently figuring out it’s not evidence-based.
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Disappointed to hear the Alberta government cut funding to Turning Point in Red Deer, the city’s longstanding harm reduction agency. This leaves a big gap in support for people who use drugs and/or are unstably housed in Red Deer. edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...
Opinion: Closing Alberta harm-reduction hubs is going backwards
By shuttering low barrier and harm reduction services, we are going backwards, not forwards.
edmontonjournal.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Disappointed to hear the Alberta government cut funding to Turning Point in Red Deer, the city’s longstanding harm reduction agency. This leaves a big gap in support for people who use drugs and/or are unstably housed in Red Deer. edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
This is a laughable consent process. Patients, including those with full capacity, will be asked if they consent, but then they can't refuse??? Just one of many concerns about Bill 53. Educate yourself. Educate others. Advocate for better.
July 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
This is a laughable consent process. Patients, including those with full capacity, will be asked if they consent, but then they can't refuse??? Just one of many concerns about Bill 53. Educate yourself. Educate others. Advocate for better.
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Hi folx - we have been distributing Not A Narc buttons and stickers, and we'd love to see them in the field! Reply or DM us to share a photo of your support for non-coercive care for People Who Use Drugs :)
July 2, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Hi folx - we have been distributing Not A Narc buttons and stickers, and we'd love to see them in the field! Reply or DM us to share a photo of your support for non-coercive care for People Who Use Drugs :)
Reposted by Kate Colizza
No one in their right mind would expect a protest of five people to change the course of history, but credible reports suggest Minister Dan Williams has shaved off his moustache.
This morning, everyone’s least favourite Downtown Revitalization Coalition hosted “A Conversation with Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Dan Williams.”
But right outside, @4bharmredux.bsky.social held a protest all dressed in Dan Williams moustaches, and they deserve a round of applause. 1/
But right outside, @4bharmredux.bsky.social held a protest all dressed in Dan Williams moustaches, and they deserve a round of applause. 1/
May 13, 2025 at 9:38 PM
No one in their right mind would expect a protest of five people to change the course of history, but credible reports suggest Minister Dan Williams has shaved off his moustache.
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Powerful statement from @albertadoctors.bsky.social on proposed forced abstinence legislation (“Compassionate Intervention Act”).
www.albertadoctors.org/news/publica...
www.albertadoctors.org/news/publica...
Compassionate Intervention Act - Our reaction | AMA
The government has introduced Bill 53 Compassionate Intervention Act for mandatory addiction treatment.
www.albertadoctors.org
May 7, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Powerful statement from @albertadoctors.bsky.social on proposed forced abstinence legislation (“Compassionate Intervention Act”).
www.albertadoctors.org/news/publica...
www.albertadoctors.org/news/publica...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
I'm thrilled so many profs use @crackdownpod.bsky.social episodes in their curriculum. Might I suggest including my book by the same name? Learning outcomes include: harm reduction, decrim, methadone, safe supply, HIV, PTSD, sex work, advocacy, research, etc www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/700597...
Crackdown by Garth Mullins | Penguin Random House Canada
*NATIONAL BESTSELLER*Part memoir, part manifesto, Crackdown is a story of the drug war, told from the frontlines.
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
May 3, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I'm thrilled so many profs use @crackdownpod.bsky.social episodes in their curriculum. Might I suggest including my book by the same name? Learning outcomes include: harm reduction, decrim, methadone, safe supply, HIV, PTSD, sex work, advocacy, research, etc www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/700597...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
🧵Remember when Alberta government claimed just 73 drug poisoning deaths occurred in May '24, and once again trotted out their "cautious optimism" that the Alberta model was working?
Well, that count is now 98 deaths – a 34% increase and the largest I've ever seen from initial release to update. 1/
Well, that count is now 98 deaths – a 34% increase and the largest I've ever seen from initial release to update. 1/
April 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
🧵Remember when Alberta government claimed just 73 drug poisoning deaths occurred in May '24, and once again trotted out their "cautious optimism" that the Alberta model was working?
Well, that count is now 98 deaths – a 34% increase and the largest I've ever seen from initial release to update. 1/
Well, that count is now 98 deaths – a 34% increase and the largest I've ever seen from initial release to update. 1/
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Injunction to halt the UCP's closure of the Red Deer overdose prevention site has been denied, the same day a warning went out about 12 ODs in 15 hours near the former site.
As @ehyshka.bsky.social has said, an OPS is like the emergency room of the toxic drug crisis, and now it's just ~gone~
As @ehyshka.bsky.social has said, an OPS is like the emergency room of the toxic drug crisis, and now it's just ~gone~
April 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Injunction to halt the UCP's closure of the Red Deer overdose prevention site has been denied, the same day a warning went out about 12 ODs in 15 hours near the former site.
As @ehyshka.bsky.social has said, an OPS is like the emergency room of the toxic drug crisis, and now it's just ~gone~
As @ehyshka.bsky.social has said, an OPS is like the emergency room of the toxic drug crisis, and now it's just ~gone~
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Take a sec to consider the situations these 32,000 people were in when they got turned away from domestic violence shelters.
What’s their next move?
What’s their next move?
New report from ACWS finds nearly 32,000 people were turned away from Alberta shelter's due to a lack of space last year, with 40% of them being children.
That's a new provincial record.
#yeg #yyc #ableg
acws.ca/strength-in-...
That's a new provincial record.
#yeg #yyc #ableg
acws.ca/strength-in-...
Strength in Numbers 2024 - Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters
acws.ca
April 8, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Take a sec to consider the situations these 32,000 people were in when they got turned away from domestic violence shelters.
What’s their next move?
What’s their next move?
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Anyone else think it’s weird that, like Alberta Health Services, Recovery Alberta has only one board member?
And like AHS, also a lot of very questionable contracts?
@thebreakdownab.bsky.social
And like AHS, also a lot of very questionable contracts?
@thebreakdownab.bsky.social
April 7, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Anyone else think it’s weird that, like Alberta Health Services, Recovery Alberta has only one board member?
And like AHS, also a lot of very questionable contracts?
@thebreakdownab.bsky.social
And like AHS, also a lot of very questionable contracts?
@thebreakdownab.bsky.social
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Forced data collection by Recovery Alberta will potentially be used in the implementation of forced treatment.
Drug user rights are willfully eroded while the recovery industry scores sole source contracts.
Must read by @drugdatadecoded.ca 👇
drugdatadecoded.ca/coercion-at-...
Drug user rights are willfully eroded while the recovery industry scores sole source contracts.
Must read by @drugdatadecoded.ca 👇
drugdatadecoded.ca/coercion-at-...
"Coercion at its finest": Ministry mandating My Recovery Plan participation for recovery service access
The app owned by Last Door Recovery Society was legally obligated to be voluntary for recovery program clients. But in a bait-and-switch, the Alberta government is now telling service providers to ens...
drugdatadecoded.ca
March 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Forced data collection by Recovery Alberta will potentially be used in the implementation of forced treatment.
Drug user rights are willfully eroded while the recovery industry scores sole source contracts.
Must read by @drugdatadecoded.ca 👇
drugdatadecoded.ca/coercion-at-...
Drug user rights are willfully eroded while the recovery industry scores sole source contracts.
Must read by @drugdatadecoded.ca 👇
drugdatadecoded.ca/coercion-at-...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
We need to stop tap-dancing around this:
Alberta is rebuilding residential schools through its recovery model.
Its leaders now insist the model must include long-term forced abstinence despite (or because of?) how it places many people at higher risk of overdose. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta is rebuilding residential schools through its recovery model.
Its leaders now insist the model must include long-term forced abstinence despite (or because of?) how it places many people at higher risk of overdose. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Patients will need extensive support after involuntary addiction treatment: Alberta agency | CBC News
An Alberta Crown corporation that studies addiction recommends that any involuntary treatment be done for longer time periods because shorter stays seem ineffective.
www.cbc.ca
March 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
We need to stop tap-dancing around this:
Alberta is rebuilding residential schools through its recovery model.
Its leaders now insist the model must include long-term forced abstinence despite (or because of?) how it places many people at higher risk of overdose. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta is rebuilding residential schools through its recovery model.
Its leaders now insist the model must include long-term forced abstinence despite (or because of?) how it places many people at higher risk of overdose. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
SCOOP: Edmonton EMS dispatches for opioid poisoning just hit their highest-ever weekly count.
While other provincial governments issue warnings, the Alberta government has instead been hiding a key mortality report since 2021 that should have informed solutions.
drugdatadecoded.ca/edmonton-set...
While other provincial governments issue warnings, the Alberta government has instead been hiding a key mortality report since 2021 that should have informed solutions.
drugdatadecoded.ca/edmonton-set...
Edmonton setting opioid poisoning records while Province quietly hides medical examiner review
Edmonton EMS dispatches for opioid poisoning have hit their highest weekly count ever. While other provincial governments issue warnings, Alberta has been hiding a key mortality report that could have...
drugdatadecoded.ca
March 13, 2025 at 6:51 PM
SCOOP: Edmonton EMS dispatches for opioid poisoning just hit their highest-ever weekly count.
While other provincial governments issue warnings, the Alberta government has instead been hiding a key mortality report since 2021 that should have informed solutions.
drugdatadecoded.ca/edmonton-set...
While other provincial governments issue warnings, the Alberta government has instead been hiding a key mortality report since 2021 that should have informed solutions.
drugdatadecoded.ca/edmonton-set...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
🧵 UCalgary campus security executives have been deleting records that implicate them in decision making around the violent police assault on May 9 protesters. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/university-o...
drugdatadecoded.ca/university-o...
University of Calgary destroyed records related to May 9 police violence against protesters
In a rare instance, University of Calgary officials were caught destroying records that should have been made available through freedom of information. The destroyed records — obtained from Calgary Po...
drugdatadecoded.ca
March 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
🧵 UCalgary campus security executives have been deleting records that implicate them in decision making around the violent police assault on May 9 protesters. 1/
drugdatadecoded.ca/university-o...
drugdatadecoded.ca/university-o...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
*UPDATED with response from Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld*
Remarkable - he doesn't deny that the ASIRT review was set up to fail.
Remarkable - he doesn't deny that the ASIRT review was set up to fail.
SCOOP: I got a copy of the Calgary police chief’s hand-written notes from May 9 and 10, which show that he discussed the dismantling of a 🇵🇸 encampment at UofC with three Cabinet ministers and the premier’s chief of staff.
open.substack.com/pub/theorcha...
open.substack.com/pub/theorcha...
How the UCP covered up police violence against the U of C Palestine encampment
The Orchard has obtained hundreds of pages of correspondence from the university's executive leadership team, campus security, Calgary police and the provincial government. Part II of II.
open.substack.com
March 5, 2025 at 4:12 AM
*UPDATED with response from Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld*
Remarkable - he doesn't deny that the ASIRT review was set up to fail.
Remarkable - he doesn't deny that the ASIRT review was set up to fail.
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Forced treatment shatters trust and relationships. Thankfully Brandon rebuilt the bond with his amazing mom Angie, founder of
@4bharmredux.bsky.social. She helped him to get well after 10 years of struggle and houselessness post forced care.
#CareIsNotForced
@4bharmredux.bsky.social. She helped him to get well after 10 years of struggle and houselessness post forced care.
#CareIsNotForced
“When I was put into...[forced] treatment it was violent and degrading and… it made me angry and ashamed which just increased my drug use and...one person I would of turned to, my mom, I didn’t trust anymore.” B from @4bharmredux.bsky.social
#abpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/2/...
#abpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/2/...
Compassionate Intervention is "Criminalization" By Another Name — Moms Stop The Harm
Compassionate Intervention is Criminalization By Another Name Dear AB MSTH members. We would like to invite you to an AB advocacy Zoom call on March 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM Mountain Time to disc...
www.momsstoptheharm.com
March 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Forced treatment shatters trust and relationships. Thankfully Brandon rebuilt the bond with his amazing mom Angie, founder of
@4bharmredux.bsky.social. She helped him to get well after 10 years of struggle and houselessness post forced care.
#CareIsNotForced
@4bharmredux.bsky.social. She helped him to get well after 10 years of struggle and houselessness post forced care.
#CareIsNotForced
Reposted by Kate Colizza
"Drug trafficking isn’t just a crime—it’s a symptom of deeper issues that no amount of fines or harsher laws will ever fix. You can’t legislate fear into people and expect them to recover. It doesn’t work. It never has. It never will."
#SKpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/3/...
#SKpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/3/...
The Flawed Logic of Million-Dollar Fines in Drug Trafficking: A Perspective from Lived Experience — Moms Stop The Harm
The Flawed Logic of Million-Dollar Fines in Drug Trafficking: A Perspective from Lived Experience Watching the Saskatchewan government announce million-dollar fines for drug trafficking stirred somet...
www.momsstoptheharm.com
March 3, 2025 at 7:58 PM
"Drug trafficking isn’t just a crime—it’s a symptom of deeper issues that no amount of fines or harsher laws will ever fix. You can’t legislate fear into people and expect them to recover. It doesn’t work. It never has. It never will."
#SKpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/3/...
#SKpoli
www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2025/3/...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Powerful and unequivocal statement from Canadian Public Health Association on Alberta's proposed involuntary treatment / forced abstinence legislation.
www.cpha.ca/alberta-invo...
www.cpha.ca/alberta-invo...
Alberta’s proposed involuntary treatment legislation a threat to public health | Canadian Public Health Association
www.cpha.ca
February 27, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Powerful and unequivocal statement from Canadian Public Health Association on Alberta's proposed involuntary treatment / forced abstinence legislation.
www.cpha.ca/alberta-invo...
www.cpha.ca/alberta-invo...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
"Police said Haber met the women through his involvement as a client, sponsor and later contract employee at Last Door starting in 2010."
Last Door mgmt then allegedly tried to cover up allegations.
Evidence shows Last Door will soon open Calgary Recovery Community. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Last Door mgmt then allegedly tried to cover up allegations.
Evidence shows Last Door will soon open Calgary Recovery Community. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Former B.C. recovery home employee convicted of sexually assaulting vulnerable women | CBC News
Adam Haber, a former fitness trainer at Last Door Recovery Society in New Westminster, was found guilty on Wednesday of two counts of sexual assault involving vulnerable women.
www.cbc.ca
February 28, 2025 at 2:04 AM
"Police said Haber met the women through his involvement as a client, sponsor and later contract employee at Last Door starting in 2010."
Last Door mgmt then allegedly tried to cover up allegations.
Evidence shows Last Door will soon open Calgary Recovery Community. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Last Door mgmt then allegedly tried to cover up allegations.
Evidence shows Last Door will soon open Calgary Recovery Community. 1/
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Kate Colizza
Latest from the best in the business @manishakrishnan.bsky.social
“It’s really concerning,” says one expert, fearing it will amount to incarceration "when your only crime is being houseless and living in poverty."
300 beds are planned; the criteria for who will be forced to occupy them aren't yet set, reports @manishakrishnan.bsky.social:
300 beds are planned; the criteria for who will be forced to occupy them aren't yet set, reports @manishakrishnan.bsky.social:
Alberta Will Force People Who Use Drugs to Enter Treatment
The provincial government plans to build “compassionate intervention centres” and compel people to stay there. The criteria are not yet set.
filtermag.org
February 26, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Latest from the best in the business @manishakrishnan.bsky.social