People seeking help for substance use will have greater access to culturally grounded care following the opening of 12 new treatment and recovery beds in Haida Gwaii and Adams Lake.
The Province, working with the First Nations Health Authority, the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Division, and local First Nations, has added four supportive recovery beds in Skidegate, four supportive recovery beds in Old Massett, and four treatment beds in Adams Lake.
The new services are designed and led by Indigenous communities, providing culturally safe care rooted in local knowledge, traditions, and community connections.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said Indigenous-led care is essential because First Nations communities continue to face disproportionate impacts from the toxic-drug crisis.
“Indigenous peoples are experiencing disproportionate impacts. And that’s why Indigenous people must be able to determine what services are best for them and the way that can be delivered best for them,” Osborne told CFNR News.
The beds in Skidegate and Adams Lake are already open and accepting clients, while the Old Massett recovery beds are expected to open in July.
The announcement also includes plans for a new Northwest Outpatient Withdrawal Management Team on Haida Gwaii later this summer. The service will allow people to access withdrawal management support in their homes or supportive residences rather than having to leave their communities.
Osborne said maintaining community and family connections is an important part of recovery.
“When they’re ready to come home to be in a supportive environment, to be in one where those connections to neighbors and to family and friends are there, it’s just so incredibly important,” she said.
The Province says the expansion is part of its broader effort to build a continuum of substance-use care and recovery services across British Columbia.
