UCP to spend big on addiction recovery, fighting crime, new DNA testing labs
The United Conservative Party government has announced a massive injection of funds in the 2026 Alberta budget for public safety and mandatory addiction recovery programs.
Author: Clayton DeMaine
The United Conservative Party government has announced a massive injection of funds in the 2026 Alberta budget for public safety and mandatory addiction recovery programs. On the public safety front, this includes investing in new DNA testing facilities and boosting policing resources.
The 2026 Alberta budget earmarks several years of multibillion-dollar deficit spending, including over $6 billion for public safety and emergency services.
The government forecasted spending $1.45 billion on public safety and emergency services in 2025–26, followed by about $1.5 billion annually from 2026–27 to 2028–29.
In addition to public safety, the province committed to spending an extra $8.1 billion on mental health and addiction over the same four years. The budget notes spending in this area will increase by $167 million, or 8.9 per cent from the third quarter.
The increase is due to the province’s strategies, including new programs to combat addiction such as Alberta’s Compassionate Intervention Act, which introduces mandatory recovery programs for individuals whose addiction puts them at serious risk.
Part of the approximately $1.5 billion in annual public safety expenditures—a four per cent increase from the previous year’s forecast—is allocated to solving crimes and combating human trafficking.
The operating expense for Public Security is set at $866 million in 2026–27, up from the 2025–26 forecast. The government attributes this to investments tied to law enforcement capacity across the province.
The budget also advances the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service framework, which the government says is intended to support policing in smaller and rural communities and reduce reliance on the federal police.
The plan earmarks $39 million for police support, $5 million for the expansion of a police review commission and $3 million to combat human trafficking. The province is establishing a $5 million DNA lab to help streamline investigations, expand testing capacity and reduce costs.
Corrections spending is also set to rise. The Correctional Services operating expense is $397 million in 2026–27, up $33 million from the 2025–26 forecast. The government links part of the increase to expanding electronic monitoring, which it says is aimed at supervision of high-risk and repeat offenders.
The Alberta government also plans to increase spending on the Ministry of Justice, with expenditures estimated at $773 million in 2026–27, up 2.9 per cent from the 2025–26 forecast of $751 million. The ministry’s budget is set to drop back down to $758 million by 2028–29.
Due to increased demand for “specialized prosecution capacity” for violent crime and gang-related cases, spending towards the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service is projected at $163 million in 2026–27, up from the 2025–26 forecast. The plan also promises to keep a $105 million grant to Legal Aid Alberta in 2026–27, while warning of a future drop in federal funding for legal aid and related programs.






Thankfully Alberta has common sense leadership unlike our federal government self-serving corrupt hypocrites.
Sounds very sensible and on mark for current needs. Other provincial governments could pay heed!