Construction beginning on new 76-bed addiction treatment centre on Siksika Nation

Provincial and Siksika Nation officials broke ground Friday on a new addiction treatment centre on the First Nation east of Calgary.

The province had committed last July to building the Siksika Nation recovery community, one of 11 being built across the province at a cost of $350 million. The $35-million Siksika facility will add 76 long-term treatment beds in the region, supporting up to 300 people each year.

Construction is now beginning on the centre, with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

“Five years ago, this government started down a path that would come to be known as the Alberta recovery model, and from the very start we knew partnerships with Indigenous communities was going to be the centre of our model,” said Dan Williams, Alberta’s minister of Mental Health and Addiction, during a Friday news conference on the Siksika Nation.

The province is partnering with Indigenous communities on five of the 11 recovery communities, two of which are already open, in Lethbridge and Red Deer. Siksika Nation will own and oversee the operation of its recovery community. 

Siksika Nation Chief Ouray Crowfoot said the First Nation’s goal for the new facility is to help many Siksika people achieve long-term success and experience “real healing.”

“Far too many people of our people are dying prematurely,” said Crowfoot.

The facility’s main focus will be to help Siksika members recover from addiction, but it will be open to others from surrounding communities if capacity allows, he said.

“At the end of the day it’s about healing our community,” said Crowfoot.

Siksika Nation Coun. Marsha Wolf Collar said the new addiction treatment centre will be a vital resource for those struggling with addiction.

“Without access to a recovery centre, many individuals struggle to find the help they need and may continue to suffer from their condition,” said Wolf Collar, adding an available recovery centre can be “life changing” for those in need.

The facility will offer a range of services, including a medical detox care centre, counselling and cultural programming, said Wolf Collar.

Clients can stay at no cost for up to one year, according to an Alberta government news release.

Alberta’s Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP), which offers help to those struggling with opioid addiction, can be reached by calling 1-844-383-7688. VODP, which is available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, provides same-day access to addiction medicine specialists with no waitlist.

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