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Part of Addiction and mental health

Recovery community operator expression of interest

This is a request for expression of interest and qualification for a qualified service provider to operate the Grande Prairie Recovery Community.

The deadlines to sign and submit a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and submit questions have passed. 
Organizations that have already received an application package have until October 24 at 4:30 pm MDT to submit their application.

Overview

Alberta’s government is seeking qualified service providers to apply to operate the Grande Prairie Recovery Community.

As part of the Alberta Recovery Model, 11 recovery communities are being established throughout the province. Also known as therapeutic communities, recovery communities are a form of holistic bed-based addiction treatment that focuses on the whole person and overall lifestyle changes. They provide opportunities for people to enhance their life skills and social competencies to help them transition to full community living. Recovery is seen as a gradual, ongoing process of cognitive change through clinical and peer interventions.

Treatment at recovery communities is fully funded by the provincial government. Any Albertan seeking recovery can access the life-saving treatment services for free.

The Grande Prairie Recovery Community is not yet built. Its construction is fully funded and is currently in the design and planning stage. Anticipated opening is in the fall of 2027.

Deadlines

There are 3 important deadlines:

  • By October 10, 2025 at 4:30 pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), interested service providers must signal their interest by submitting a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to [email protected]. They will then be sent an application package to complete.
    • Once this deadline is passed, Mental Health and Addiction will no longer accept NDAs from interested service providers.
  • By October 17, 2025 at 4:30 pm MDT, service providers who have submitted an NDA may send questions about this competition and requirements to [email protected], and those questions will be responded to before the application deadline.
  • By October 24, 2025 at 4:30 pm MDT, all applications are due.
    • Late or incomplete applications will not be evaluated for this competition but late applications may be considered for future opportunities.

Ministry responsible

Mental Health and Addiction

Funding

As part of the expression of interest, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is looking for applicants to provide budget estimates for a recovery community program for a 50-bed (separated living quarters for male/male-identifying and female/female-identifying) facility in Grande Prairie.

Applicants must refer to the scope of services laid out in the Recovery Community Provincial Manual as a foundation for their proposed programs for the recovery community and consider a benchmark per diem of $170 to $200 per bed.

Applicants will not need to include building operations and maintenance or lease rates in their proposals, as the facilities are government owned, and these costs will be funded separately by the Government of Alberta.

The successful applicant will enter into a grant agreement with the ministry to fund the provision of recovery community services. Final grant funding amounts and project scope will be subject to negotiation upon identification of a preferred application.

Eligibility

Applications will only be reviewed by Mental Health and Addiction from organizations that:

  • demonstrate recent experience operating bed-based health and therapeutic facilities with 30 or more beds and an annual operating budget of at least $2 million.
  • demonstrate recent experience delivering evidence-based addiction treatment that supports people in their recovery. While experience operating large-scale bed-based addiction treatment programs is preferred, it is no longer a mandatory requirement.
  • are willing and able to achieve the requirements for licensure as a residential addiction treatment provider under the Mental Health Services Protection Act.
  • demonstrate aptitude and willingness to incorporate Indigenous healing and cultural practices into their programs.
  • demonstrate experience providing evidence-based practices consistent with the Recovery Community Provincial Manual, which include but are not limited to:
    • community as method
    • concept of ‘Prosocial Living’
    • work as therapy; and
    • community safety, inclusion and acceptance.
  • can obtain $5 million per claim general liability insurance and $5 million per claim in medical malpractice or professional liability insurance or both.

Note: The Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction will provide the Recovery Community Provincial Manual to applicants upon receipt of a completed non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Applicants will be required to provide a detailed description of their proposed approach to operating the recovery community in a way that meets the standards outlined in the manual.

Additional details and requirements may be provided within the guide and the application template.

Alberta is looking to leverage innovative practices (such as social enterprise) at recovery communities and build local capacity for recovery and treatment operations. Therefore, applications from partnerships (including with local communities) or consortia of operators are welcomed.

How to apply

Step 1. Download and read guide the guide below

Step 2. Download and submit the NDA as soon as possible, and no later than October 10, 2025 at 4:30 pm MDT

Step 3. Submit the application package

Service providers who have submitted an NDA can send a completed application package to [email protected] by October 24, 2025 at 4:30 pm MDT.

Use the subject: ‘RFEIOQ: Grande Prairie Recovery Community Operator.’

The package must include:

  • a completed application template
  • a completed financial template
  • reference letters from partners and stakeholders, per the application template
  • other documentary evidence to support the application. We will not consider or review promotional material as a standalone part of the application without further details or specific rationale provided.

Refer to the Request for Expression of Interest and Qualification Guide: Grande Prairie Recovery Community Operator for detailed application information.

Service providers can send questions about this competition and requirements to [email protected], with the subject: ‘RFEIOQ: Grande Prairie Recovery Community Operator'

  • The deadline to submit questions is October 17, 2025 at 4:30 pm MDT to ensure responses can be provided by Mental Health and Addiction before the application deadline.
  • To ensure fairness, Mental Health and Addiction will share anonymized questions and answers with all providers who submitted an NDA for this competition.

After you apply

Successful applicants will be notified when a decision is made.

Contact

Email: [email protected] – use the subject: ‘RFEIOQ: Grande Prairie Recovery Community Operator'.