Alberta Premier’s Top Aide and Addictions Strategist Steps Down

Marshall Smith speaks at the B.C. legislature about drug overdose deaths on Jan. 18, 2017. Smith was, at the time, chair of the B.C. Recovery Council; he has served as chief of staff to Alberta’s premier, a position he recently resigned. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s top adviser and key strategist for the province’s addiction strategy is retiring from public service.

The premier made the announcement on Oct. 8, thanking Marshall Smith, 52, for his work over the past years as chief of staff in her office. The premier hailed him as the architect of Alberta’s recovery-based drug addiction policy, a strategy the province calls the “Alberta Recovery Model.”