Alberta to build first provincial forensic DNA lab in western Canada

In this April 15, 2014, file photo, a criminalist trainee prepare sample bone fragments for DNA testing at the training lab in the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

The province intends to open its own forensic DNA lab just outside of Edmonton by 2029.

Public safety and emergency services minister Mike Ellis announced $8.9 million from Budget 2026 to build western Canada’s first provincial DNA lab in Sherwood Park, offsetting the current set up of municipalities outsourcing forensic work to federal laboratories.

“Last year alone, Alberta submitted nearly 2,900 DNA samples to the RCMP National Forensic Lab, an average of almost eight per day,” Ellis said at a Tuesday press conference.

“But capacity constraints and rising costs in the national system are slowing investigations and driving up the cost of justice.”

Last year, each DNA test cost around $2,500 when processed through the federal system. The province expects that cost to drop by up to 40 per cent per case with a provincial lab.

The new lab would be built within the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams facility in Sherwood Park.

Its first opening phase will “ensure operational readiness and that testing procedures meet international accreditation standards.”

By 2029, the lab is slated to begin accepting DNA evidence from property crimes like break-ins or thefts. That would expand to include serious crimes, like homicides and sexual assaults, by 2031.

Edmonton police Chief Warren Driechel, who attended the Tuesday press conference, said the new lab would mean decreased wait times for smaller communities.

“We’ll be able to move quicker on the cases that impact Albertans and our communities. Faster turnaround helps everyone … that’s capacity we can put back into frontline police work.”

The province intends to negotiate a new funding model with the federal government to potentially operate the facility at a net-zero cost to provincial taxpayers by 2031.