Message from the President and CEO

Welcome to the first report from the Northern Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre of Excellence. The Centre’s vision is to become a hub for healing, education, and wellness, and to provide addiction treatment services closer to home for people from across northeastern Ontario. It is important to note that this is a regional treatment centre, and that agencies currently engaged in North Bay and Nipissing will continue doing their excellent work. Canadore College maintains a strong commitment to the communities it serves, and our vision to support people through a health and wellness continuum of care model remains a long-standing goal.

Canadore College is pleased to be leading the charge to provide much-needed addiction treatment services in Northern Ontario. This 53-bed facility will be located at 352 Lakeshore Drive in North Bay. It will provide withdrawal management, residential and supportive treatment beds, and services tailored to the needs of each client. Services will be available to the diverse populations of Northern Ontario, including francophone and Indigenous peoples. Services will be free to clients with costs being covered by the Ontario government and private health insurance.

Canadore College will manage the Centre. A team of medical specialists and addiction experts will be led by an experienced director. The service and treatment model fits with the College’s vision for The Village, the first health and wellness educational facility of its kind in Canada that blends Indigenous, Eastern, and Western practices. These practices all embrace the holistic concept of a healthy mind, body, and spirit. As this new addiction treatment centre integrates with existing service providers, Canadore students will benefit from experiential learning opportunities under the guidance of an interprofessional team of faculty and professionals. Indigenous studies programs offered through The Village will support culturally safe and appropriate services for Indigenous clients.

The Treatment Centre will not be a dispensary, a safe injection site, or a drop-in centre. Only those receiving treatment and those providing treatment and support will be on the premises.

 
Clients can self-refer to the Centre or be referred by a medical professional or community partner for treatment. The Centre will be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the premises will be closely monitored to ensure the safety and well-being of clients, employees, and the community.

 
Canadore College is pleased to be able to offer this additional capacity to fight the growing problem of addiction in the region.