UCalgary-led Recovery on Campus launches Action Plan and Recovering in Place Lab

Calgary, AB – Recovery on Campus (ROC) announced the unveiling of its 2025–2028 Action Plan and the official launch of the Recovering in Place Lab. These initiatives, led by the University of Calgary, have received $3 million in new provincial funding from the Government of Alberta, strengthening the infrastructure needed to sustain and scale recovery systems across Alberta’s post-secondary landscape.

The Action Plan outlines ROC’s strategic priorities for the coming years, including expanding direct recovery supports, advancing recovery education and awareness, producing impactful research and evaluation, scaling campus recovery programs, and ensuring long-term sustainability. As part of these priorities, the Recovering in Place Lab (RIPL) will focus on research and evaluation to generate evidence-based approaches that strengthen long-term addiction recovery across post-secondary communities.  

“What began as one peer support meeting and a borrowed coffee cart has grown into a provincial initiative partnering with 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions across Alberta and emerging as a best-practice model for post-secondary recovery across Canada.”
 
Dr. Victoria Burns, founder and director, Recovery on Campus (ROC) and associate professor, Faculty of Social Work

Led by the University of Calgary, Recovery on Campus supports students, staff, and faculty who are in or seeking recovery from addiction. Through funding, scholarships, research opportunities, one-on-one and group support, education, and campus partnerships, ROC is building post-secondary communities where recovery is visible, valued and supported for everyone. In 2025, ROC became part of UCalgary’s Office of Institutional Commitments, embedding recovery into broader mental health, inclusion, and sustainability priorities.

Through this provincial investment, ROC is scaling recovery infrastructure across Alberta by providing $75,000 per year in implementation funding to the University of Alberta, Red Deer Polytechnic, and Mount Royal University, alongside seed funding to 22 additional publicly funded institutions to catalyze local recovery initiatives. UCalgary’s recovery community serves as the coordination, research, and proof-of-concept headquarters for ROC.

“The Alberta Recovery Model ensures mental health and addiction recovery is supported at every stage of life, including post-secondary education. We’re proud to support Recovery on Campus Alberta so students can focus on their education while accessing the help they need. Recovery is possible.”
 
MLA Rick Wilson, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction

“Students can’t succeed academically if they’re struggling alone. Recovery on Campus Alberta ensures that recovery supports are visible, accessible and integrated into campus life. This investment strengthens student well-being and reinforces our commitment to safe, supportive learning evironments across Alberta.”
 
MLA Myles McDougall, Minister of Advanced Education

In 2024-2025, the University of Calgary Recovery Community (UCRC) hosted 282 peer support meetings with 1,125 attendees. 83 per cent of those attendees felt an increased sense of belonging after attending a meeting and 97 per cent said they would return without hesitation. UCalgary has hosted 19 substance-free events and made 12 substance-free beds available in residence, with 42 applications last year demonstrating sustained demand. Over $100,000 in scholarships and awards have been distributed to 50 student and staff awardees. Recovery Ally training participants demonstrated a 43 per cent reduction in stigmatizing attitudes. 

Media inquiries

Brennan Black
Advisor, Media Relations, Office of External Relations
368-886-3135
Brennan.black@ucalgary.ca