Timmins groups are planning a new addiction recovery center and hope for help from the Ontario government CBC News

Organizations in Timmins have bought a local hotel and are now hoping to benefit from Ontario’s new $378 million plan to invest in Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs.

The Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB), Mushkegowuk Council, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and Timmins and District Hospital have joined forces to purchase the Ramada hotel at 1800 Riverside Dr. to build a new health center and a health center for people in recovery. out of trouble.

They are asking the province for $4.4 million a year, from the Drug Abuse Fund, to support the operation of this new facility, and it is hoped that it will be operational in the winter of 2025.

It will be called the Timmins and Area Wellness Center of Excellence (WCE) and will include outpatient management programs as well as 103 treatment and support beds.

“The provincial announcement of the HART Hub came at the right time. Our delegation was already advocating for WCE at the Ontario Association of Municipalities Conference when the minister of health made the announcement,” said Jean Carriere, director of health for the CDSB, in the news. release on Tuesday.

“The Wellness Center is more than just a center – it’s a way of life for our community, which has called this center for years.”

Cochrane County is a large regional area and home to more than 80,000 diverse people who face significant challenges accessing mental health and addiction services. High rates of slavery,
long wait times, shortages in primary care and gaps in care have been problems for years.

“There is still a demonstrated need for investment in evidence-based mental health and
addiction services in our area,” said Dr. Louisa Marion-Bellemare, a physician at Timmins and District Hospital. “Up north, we’re known for our innovative approach to health, mental health and the provision of public services. Our strength as an organization is rooted in the fact that everyone deserves the ability to get the care they need, when and where they need it. “

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones has announced plans to support 19 HART Hubs, while also saying 10 supervised use sites will have to close their doors because they are too close to schools or childcare centers.

“Continuing to enable people to use drugs is not a cure,” Jones said when announcing the new funds.

The new hubs will not include harm reduction services, a decision that has come under fire from some addiction and harm reduction workers.

“This is not the time to take away life-saving services,” said Amber Fritz, director of access and education with Sudbury’s Réseau Access Network, which ran the city’s safe access network until it was eventually closed. of March.

“This is the time to lift them up and grow them,” Fritz told the CBC last month. “I think this is absolutely terrifying. I think this will directly contribute to preventable deaths in all communities that have closed spaces or, like ours, never had the opportunity to get provincial funding.”

CDSB is also asking the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for $1.5 million to help with the renovation of the former hotel.

The organization would also like to see an annual increase of $1 million to the provincial Homelessness Prevention Program to support temporary shelters in Cochrane County.