As Calgary’s population exploded in 2007, the city had fewer than 350 mental health beds while Edmonton had almost twice that number, according to a leaked government-commissioned report.

The draft 2007 report, recently leaked to the Alberta NDP after the party tried in vain to get it through a freedom of information request, says Calgary had 338 beds compared to Edmonton’s 615 that year. As well, Alberta had .45 beds for every 1,000 people in 2005, much lower than the national rate of 1.9 beds per 1,000.

Tom Shand, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Alberta branch, says the situation outlined in the report has likely changed, however, the information would have been useful at the time for those working in the field. “I would hope [the government] would make a different choice going forward next time to not restrict that flow of information,” he adds.

When asked why the government hid the report for so long, Health and Wellness Minister Ron Liepert said “as a department you commission reports periodically, from time to time. Some of them you table [in the legislature]; some of them you don’t.”

About 20 per cent of Albertans will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives, according to the report. “There needs to be, certainly, more institutional beds than there are now,” says Shand. “At the same time, there also needs to significantly more community health services.”