Skip to content

Calls for Northern addiction treatment facility renewed

2311centre91
Raymond Pidzamecky, a social worker and Health Canada contractor providing mental health counselling to NWT communities, has been calling for a Northern treatment facility for years. Photo courtesy of Raymond Pidzamecky.

The NWT’s rate of substance-related hospital stays is more than four times the national average, making it the highest in the country, according to a 2018 report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.   

A 2019 survey from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use (CCSA) and Addictions shows that NWT liquor sales equate to 12 litres of pure alcohol per capita. That’s four litres more than the national average, and CCSA already reports that Canada has higher-than-average alcohol consumption globally. 

Why then are treatment options in the territory so scarce, Raymond Pidzamecky continues to ask.

Raymond Pidzamecky, a social worker and Health Canada contractor providing mental health counselling to NWT communities, has been calling for a Northern treatment facility for years.
photo courtesy of Raymond Pidzamecky

Compared to our southern counterparts with residential treatment facilities, addiction detox centres and specialized programming, Pidzamecky said the NWT relies primarily on counselling services and support groups. 

A registered social worker in the NWT and Nunavut, for the last decade Pidzamecky has been a contractor to Health Canada, providing counselling services and mental health support to communities around the territory. 

For years, he has been vocal about the lack of appropriate resources, calling for relapse prevention programs and opportunities for community members to escape the environments that trigger their dependence. Sadly, he said, little has changed. 

In a pre-Covid world, many of Pidzamecky’s patients were travelling south for treatment. Upon their return, however, they were reintegrating into their communities where they are “so entrenched in (addictive) behaviour.”

“I need to take them out of the community or the context they're in to create a break from the dependence,” he said. 

Since the pandemic struck, Pidzamecky said clients are scared or unable to travel south and it's even more difficult to create that initial “break” in dependence.  

Without a proper treatment facility, Pidzamecky said relapse is nearly inevitable. 

A 2018 report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information demonstrates that substance-related hospitalization is four times as frequent in the Northwest Territories compared to other parts of Canada.
screengrab from Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addictions 2019 report

“What is the probability that a 40-day treatment program is going to treat, cure or eradicate an addiction or addictions? Very slim,” he said. “Although some people quit, very few avoid relapse. Treatment is, for many, a stepping stone towards seeking support and healing. Recovery from addiction, including therapy, is often a lifelong battle.”

The NWT has had a handful of addiction treatment centres over the years – most recently  Nats'ejee K'eh in Hay River, which closed its doors in 2013. Though the territory partners with a number of facilities for residents in need of therapy, all are beyond territorial borders.

When it closed, Nats’ejee K’eh’s cost of operating was about $2.1 million a year, the same as the NWT’s current fiscal budget for out-of-territory addictions treatment. 

The question of an NWT-based addiction treatment centre was again once raised in the legislative assembly on Oct. 20. Health Minister Julie Green said she is “committed” to increasing “the number and variety of culturally respectful, community-based mental health and addictions programs,” and that “there is space for Indigenous government leadership on next steps.”

Green echoed Pidzamecky’s urgency on the necessity for aftercare once patients return to their communities. She said there's $1.8 million in funding for community-based, on the land, and family-based treatment and recovery programs. Financial support is still available for this fiscal year and she “encourage(s) Indigenous governments and organizations to apply for funding and create a program that is specific to the needs of their people.”

She also highlighted Health and Social Services counselling programs where residents can book an appointment with professionals on the same day as well as telephone services like the NWT Help Line and the Strongest Families Institute.

“I recognize that addictions and recovery is an issue in almost every family and every community,” she said. “It robs people of their health and potential. It is a disease that results in too many deaths. I want to change the story.”