Leading Recovery Excellence
CoRE leads recovery excellence by informing best practices, conducting program evaluation and analyzing data to support the development of objective and practical policy.
Discover Our Founding Story
In June 2024, the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence was established by the Alberta Government through the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence Act.
Partnering With Global Leaders
One of CoRE’s key goals is to bridge the gap between research and real-world application. The centre collaborates with experts both locally and globally to develop and implement practical policies. This collaborative approach ensures that CoRE’s work is grounded in scientific and actionable insights.
News & Articles
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News
New peer-reviewed article explores buprenorphine’s potential as a novel harm reduction approach
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2, 2026 CALGARY — A new peer-reviewed article published in Pharmaceuticals and co-authored by CoRE’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Nathaniel Day, suggests buprenorphine, a medication commonly used to treat opioid use disorder, may also reduce the risk of fentanyl-induced respiratory depression, the primary cause of fatal opioid overdoses. The paper examines … Continued
News
Landmark evidence shows closing Alberta Overdose Prevention Site led to no increase in overdose deaths and an increase in life-saving treatment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 10, 2026 Calgary, Alberta—Today, Addiction, the globally leading scientific journal, published CORE’s landmark findings on how the closure of an Overdose Prevention Site in Red Deer, Alberta did not result in increased deaths, emergency department visits, or EMS (ambulance) calls for site users and after the site closed, more site users sought … Continued
Blog
Dr. Day’s presentation to UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
At the 68th Annual UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Dr. Nathaniel Day, CoRE’s Chief Scientific Officer, presented to attendees representing close to 100 nations. He shared major efforts made in Alberta to address the crises of addiction in Canada. Securing this thought leadership opportunity is just one of CoRE’s strategic achievements in its first year … Continued
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CoRE?
CoRE stands for the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence. It is a new Crown corporation established by the Alberta government under the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction.
What is the purpose of CoRE?
Every family who has a loved one suffering with addiction or mental health concerns hopes their parent, child, brother or sister recovers. CoRE’s vision is to find the most effective ways to support recovery, by empowering decision-making with the best available information on what works and what does not work to support individuals with mental illness or addiction in their pursuit of recovery. CoRE evaluates programs and provides expert advice on the effectiveness of the Alberta model, sharing those learnings locally, nationally and internationally.
How is CoRE different from Recovery Alberta?
Recovery Alberta is a service delivery organization responsible for providing mental health and addiction services to the public. CoRE focuses on program evaluation, data analysis, research and providing scientific recommendations to inform policy and practice.