Montreal Lake leadership and members of the newly created detox board celebrate the reopening of the community's detox centre. (submitted photo/Blanche Bird)

By Nigel Maxwell

Mental health

MLCN celebrates re-opening of detox centre

Nov 29, 2022 | 1:51 PM

Nearly two years after being forced to close due to COVID, the eight-bed detox centre at Montreal Lake Cree Nation is back open.

The grand reopening was marked Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Band Councillor Carol Naytowhow was one of several people involved and told paNOW there were a lot of emotions in the room.

“We’ve had meetings all different hours like sometime there will be day meetings and sometimes our meetings would go until midnight. We knew we all wanted it to open so we worked really hard for it and made sure we had a lot of things in place,” she said.

Naytowhow explained there was a loud call from the community to have it reopened, but funding was a challenge.

Through their meetings and the creation of a new detox board, money was allocated from the community’s health budget (mental wellness dollars). Noting meetings board members have had at other detox and treatment centres across the province, including Estevan and Sandy Lake, Naytowhow said there’s a need for more detox centres, adding most are at full capacity.

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“Like now our members have been travelling out of province for treatment,” she said.

Monday’s ribbon cutting came on the same day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) and announced a $42.5 million commitment for a new wellness centre in that community. While very happy for JSCN, Naytowhow said her own community could use similar help.

“We know we need more mental wellness dollars. Our mental wellness dollars for Montreal Lake are very, very low and with COVID, our mental health crisis in the community has risen,” she said.

While nothing has been finalized, Naytowhow confirmed a future community plan is for a new treatment centre.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell