Taxpayers will endure the ‘Grand Experiment’ costs

By Lethbridge Herald on April 2, 2026.

Editor,

Amusingly, after the UCP Government decided Lethbridge among  other cities would be the pilot program for the Southern Alberta Rehab Facility and funded numerous social services to destroy our downtown, they now want to reduce Ambulance costs? Costs that are directly related to their “build it and they will come” drug facilities experiment?

Recently a senior collapsed outside of Walmart, 911 was called, after 45 minutes an ambulance did not show up, a fire truck did. So where were the ambulances? No doubt attending to their 30th overdose of the day or waiting for an under-funded and under-manned emergency room to take the addict off

their hands. The same applies to the local police, if they pick up an addict in distress, they must sit with that person in emergency until emergency staff take the addict off their hands.

Now the UCP has decided to renegue on the support for demand they created and wanted in our downtown! The UCP and Social Services of Lethbridge were allergic to commuting to a facility I proposed on Highway 509. It was stated over and over again that addicts have been ostracized from their community and their families and what I was proposing was further removal. After all, whom would the addict steal from, when they need their next hit, if they were way out on the 509? Did I have no heart?

Ambulance costs having to come down, is directly related to the total cost of the UCP supporting the social services network of Lethbridge in their experiment! I have always stated if you are willing to throw all the money you have to save an addict, you will! When the government  priorities get squeezed and they will begin to backwater on their  “Great experiment”! Taxpayers eventually will bare the cost of the “Grand Experiment”!

Dennis Bremner,

Lethbridge