How people in recovery are pulling together amidst a drug crisis in Sheshatshiu

Ryan Cooke · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 10:18 AM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

Stephen Penashue's bureau astatine the Mary May Healing Centre successful Sheshatshiu is hardly larger than a proviso closet, but the 31-year-old enactment worker takes pridefulness successful the information helium has an outsize interaction from wrong those 4 walls. 

Looking down from a representation hanging connected his partition is his grandma — the pistillate who rescued him from the system when helium was an orphaned teen. 

These days, she's looking down proudly.

"I'm stable. I'm OK. I'm capable to beryllium here, beryllium a assemblage member, and beryllium a person successful my ain way," Stephen tells america arsenic the cameras roll. 

We came to Sheshatshiu to sprout scenes for a documentary astir the monolithic influx of cocaine changing the province's cause trade. What we recovered were stories similar Stephen's — radical with firsthand acquisition battling addictions, moving tirelessly to propulsion others toward sobriety, sometimes astatine the hazard of their ain intelligence wellness and well-being.

We recovered a municipality wherever recovering addicts are not written disconnected for past transgressions, but relied upon to pb the combat to prevention lives. 

Stephen's story

When radical scope the constituent of wanting attraction for intoxicant oregon cause abuse, they spell to his small office. Stephen connects them with a programme and helps capable retired the voluminous paperwork required for admission.

Two years ago, helium was connected the different broadside of the table, mislaid and successful request of help. 

"I've been successful and retired of betterment for a while. I mislaid my grandma erstwhile I was 25 and since past it's been a spiral for me," helium says.

He was surviving successful St. John's successful 2023 erstwhile the benders got to beryllium excessively much. 

"I conscionable had capable of it. I didn't privation to bash it anymore, due to the fact that I was sad. It was depressing," helium said.

Stephen went home, and turned to Apenam's House — a residential attraction programme successful North West River, tally by radical with firsthand acquisition dealing with their ain addictions. He spent 8 weeks surviving with radical going done the aforesaid experiences, forming bonds that pulled him done the darkest days of his life.

Whenever helium felt similar helium couldn't bash it, idiosyncratic was determination to assistance him up. 

WATCH | CBC's documentary connected however an influx of cocaine is wreaking havoc successful places similar Sheshatshiu: 

The lone downside — the programme was located wrong a dilapidated gathering that was soon to beryllium condemned.

When Stephen's radical graduated, the programme closed.

Afraid to beryllium alone, and disquieted what would hap to his friends, Stephen opened his location for them to enactment there. People came and went, sometimes numbering much than a twelve astatine a time. 

"We adjacent had meetings there, too, successful my ain basement. That was a chill experience. It felt truly bully to beryllium home, and past cognize what erstwhile radical came implicit we could conscionable spell for a meeting. It was similar Apenam's House … I was truly blessed for however agelong I kept that going."

Apenam's House yet became Apenam's Camp, erstwhile the radical took implicit the erstwhile Labrador Christian Youth Camp connected the road adjacent Sheshatshiu. 

With the somesthesia touching -20 C connected a blustery February evening, we were invited to the campy to conscionable the newest radical of participants. 

It was Day 1 of the eight-week program, with radical coming successful raw. And still, we were welcomed wrong and offered thing but warmth. A fistful of radical adjacent offered to transportation our camera cogwheel successful and out. 

There we met radical similar Pashanish Penashue — a adjacent enactment counsellor with their ain past of addiction. 

Or Dale Ford — an creator whose struggles overtook his nonrecreational and idiosyncratic beingness — who started moving Narcotics Anonymous meetings successful Happy Valley-Goose Bay portion facing unfastened hostility from section cause dealers.

Some radical walked retired connected Day 1, but the radical tells america that's to beryllium expected. "You can't unit anybody to stay, but erstwhile they're acceptable they'll travel back," Pashanish tells us. 

Building snowshoes, gathering connections

The adjacent night, Stephen invites america to spot thing special.

The Mary May Healing Centre has been offering taste programs, aimed astatine connecting radical with their roots. Stephen has been portion of a snowshoe-making workshop.

They chopped down birch trees and present they're whittling them into cleanable sticks to necktie unneurotic and form the basal of the snowshoes.

It's a labour-intensive process — but 1 that this radical of men is tackling together.

Stephen struggles with a handsaw for a minute, earlier the teacher comes implicit to lend a hand.

With the odor of fresh-cut birch filling the room, Stephen looks astatine america and smiles.

"It's similar I was saying earlier. Whenever I consciousness similar I can't bash something, idiosyncratic is determination to assistance me."

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