Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✖
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements available only through official request for information from Charities Directorate.
A
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Fair
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
67%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 67 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre:
Founded in 1990, Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC) treats youth suffering from addiction. AARC sees alcoholism and drug addiction as an irreversible disease that must be constantly managed. Through the 12-step program also used by Alcoholics Anonymous, young people are given tools to manage the disease. AARC believes it is important to also provide support for the family and loved ones of addicts.
Youth aged 12-21 may be recommended to AARC treatment by a guardian or social service worker. The charity reports that most families receive financial support for treatment. AARC reports that treatment costs are more than $300 per day, while a typical family pays around $120 per day. Youth stay between 217-400 days with a median stay length of 227 days.
Before being accepted into the program, a potential client is assessed by an addiction expert who will also identify any mental health issues. During the first stage of treatment, youth are in peer and clinical counselling 6 days a week and spend nights with the family of a client further along in the program. As treatment progresses youth reenter their family home, welcome newer clients into their home, and return to school or work. Clients and their families are encouraged to continue accessing support from AARC after the program ends.
AARC does not disclose the number of clients it works with each year. However, it reports that it has treated 630 youth since its founding 31 years ago.
AARC spent $416k in legal costs in F2019 ($778k in F2018) fighting the CBC for defamation after CBC's The Fifth Estate published a report related to the claims in this article.
In December 2017, an employee retired with a $537k retirement package to be paid out over the next 3 years.
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Results and Impact
A 2018 study on AARC found that 80.5% of clients who enter the treatment program graduate. The study reports that clients with very severe issues were more likely to complete treatment. 73% of graduates remained sober one year later, and 59% were still sober 2 years later.
Charity Intelligence has given Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre a Fair impact rating for demonstrated impact per dollar.
Impact Rating: Fair

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Finances
Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre is not financially transparent. Charity Intelligence has not yet been able to get a copy of its audited financial statements for F2015-F2018.
Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre is a medium-sized charity with donations, goods-in-kind donations, and special events revenue of $2.3m in F2019. Administrative costs are 11% of revenues and fundraising costs are 22% of donations. For every $1 donated, 67 cents go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. AARC has $1.8m in funding reserves which could cover program costs for 8 months.
AARC’s auditor has noted AARC’s consistent net outflow of cash and diminishing reserves as a going concern.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 22, 2021 by Asha McMullin.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2019 | 2018 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|
Administrative costs as % of revenues | 10.5% | 9.2% | 11.7% |
Fundraising costs as % of donations | 22.1% | 18.0% | 26.0% |
Total overhead spending | 32.6% | 27.2% | 37.7% |
Program cost coverage (%) | 66.4% | 69.6% | 175.4% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2019 | 2018 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|
Donations | 826,201 | 2,158,914 | 514,040 |
Goods in kind | 45,695 | 246,214 | 131,072 |
Government funding | 0 | 0 | 80,964 |
Fees for service | 528,616 | 446,259 | 484,212 |
Special events | 1,398,994 | 1,304,849 | 1,528,049 |
Investment income | 349,574 | (27,837) | 489,769 |
Other income | 15,809 | 7,740 | 0 |
Total revenues | 3,164,889 | 4,136,139 | 3,228,106 |
Program costs | 2,747,024 | 3,238,659 | 2,173,130 |
Donated goods exp | 45,695 | 246,214 | 131,072 |
Administrative costs | 294,673 | 382,263 | 319,823 |
Fundraising costs | 491,398 | 622,885 | 531,059 |
Other costs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total spending | 3,578,790 | 4,490,021 | 3,155,084 |
Cash flow from operations | (413,901) | (353,882) | 73,022 |
Capital spending | 35,443 | 44,081 | 12,287 |
Funding reserves | 1,824,950 | 2,252,700 | 3,810,626 |
Note: Ci adjusted for deferred donations to report on a cash basis affecting revenues by ($504k) in F2019, ($141k) in F2018, and ($233k) in F2014. Ci included unrealized investment income and foreign exchange gain in investment income, affecting revenues by $49k in F2019, ($168k) in F2018, and $457k in F2014. The charity no longer reports its endowment funds on its balance sheet.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
2 |
$80k - $120k |
1 |
$40k - $80k |
7 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2019
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Comments & Contact
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Charity Contact
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