First Nation in Ontario has no space for alcohol-drug detox centre, so dozens being helped at a hotel

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Community enactment idiosyncratic Kyle Arnold says detoxing from drugs is 1 of the hardest things he's ever done, but seeing dozens of members of Long Lake #58 First Nation going done withdrawal unneurotic successful a harmless abstraction "is perfectly beautiful."

Long Lake #58 is an Ojibway assemblage astir 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont. On Friday, 42 of its members arrived astatine the NorWester Hotel and Conference Centre — which is partially owned by the First Nation — to enactment successful a 10-day detox program.

The assemblage has booked much than 50 edifice rooms, wherever participants person on-site aesculapian and societal enactment and hourly country checks, arsenic they spell done withdrawal from intoxicant oregon drugs and hole for a afloat attraction program. 

"Generally erstwhile radical spell into a detox … it's with strangers. This, they're present with household members, with assemblage members, with radical they grew up with," said Arnold, a longtime advocate.

"It creates a consciousness of spot close disconnected the bat wherever they tin beryllium susceptible and they tin unfastened up."

Fewer than 600 radical unrecorded successful Long Lake #58, with the bulk of members living in Thunder Bay oregon Winnipeg.

The First Nation does not person a dedicated detox centre successful the community and the lone specified installation successful the northwestern Ontario metropolis has conscionable 25 beds.

WATCH | Long Lake #58 First Nation supports dozens of members arsenic they detox 

This isn't the archetypal clip the First Nation has brought radical to the edifice to assistance them.

Noreen Agnew, the First Nation's set typical manager, said the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns shone a airy connected however galore radical were struggling with alcoholism and addiction.

"People started talking astir however they were bushed of surviving that life. They were bushed of conscionable struggling with addictions and trauma, truthful we developed a programme that would assistance our community," Agnew said.

That programme — the Better Together Wellness Strategy — aims to promote corporate healing done sharing circles and different taste programming.

"They're doing it together, right? They're capable to beryllium stronger, enactment each different and link with each other," said Agnew.

Benefits of aesculapian withdrawals

The Thunder Bay territory — which includes Long Lake #58 — has the highest opioid-related decease complaint successful the province, according to Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner.

Detoxification clears the body of harmful substances and is typically 1 of the archetypal steps in addiction treatment. During the process, the caput and assemblage spell done respective changes portion adjusting to the deficiency of substance use. This tin effect successful withdrawal symptoms specified arsenic headaches, nausea, feeling restless oregon agitated and aggravated cravings, portion putting people at hazard of seizures oregon bosom failure.

"So galore antithetic aesculapian issues travel into play, right, erstwhile you instrumentality that substance distant that your assemblage is truthful utilized to," said Arnold. "Having a caregiver practitioner present gives radical the accidental to safely retreat successful a supported environment."

He said that for the Long Lake #58 assemblage members astatine the hotel, the archetypal fewer days were challenging, but they're starting to consciousness better.

"We're starting to spot radical [have] that beingness travel backmost into them, successful the colour of their tegument and the smiles, the laughter," helium said. "That's the payment of going done a aesculapian withdrawal."

Support workers are besides disposable astatine the edifice to assistance radical motion up for Indian presumption cards and provincial wellness cards, arsenic good arsenic link with kid and household services.

Inspiration for different First Nations

Before they could travel to Thunder Bay, participants had to implicit pre-detox sessions to amusement their committedness to the program.

After the 10-day detox, they volition implicit a two- to three-week attraction programme astatine Dilico Anishinabek Family Care successful Thunder Bay, and past instrumentality location for land-based, taste healing.

"Once you get them stabilized, they request to beryllium capable to link to the assemblage and proceed their healing, arsenic acold arsenic having sweats, and drumming and continuing that transportation to the culture," Agnew said.

Arnold's anticipation is that Long Lake #58's exemplary inspires different First Nations without on-site detox facilities to bash a akin initiative.

"Look astatine the spot that that builds among their members," helium said. "I deliberation it's groundbreaking and I anticipation that different communities tin larn from it and much radical tin get supported."

His connection for those starting their betterment journey? "There's cipher that's ever excessively acold gone."

"There is help," helium said. "Reach retired to your supports, scope retired to your community, but don't springiness up — due to the fact that we bash recover."