Months behind schedule: recovery centre in Lumsden still not open

While the Saskatchewan government celebrates the opening of more addiction treatment beds this week, the facility touted as the largest in the province has yet to open.

In January, the province announced that the former Living Skies Retreat building near Lumsden would undergo some minor renovations and open in the spring as the EHN Willowview Recovery Centre. It is slated as the largest treatment centre in the province with 60 beds, and run by EHN Canada, also known as the Edgewood Health Network.

However, as of mid-August, the facility still isn’t open.

EHN Canada wouldn’t answer questions about the facility, referring inquiries to the Ministry of Health. An admissions coordinator for the company shared via email that the admissions process to the facility remains on hold until further notice and couldn’t say when it would open.

The ministry wouldn’t provide an interview but said in a statement that EHN Canada was working through final checklists, finishing operating processes and training its staff. Leaders in local government said the facility was tying up last-minute details that had come up with EHN Canada and the land owners.

Lumsden Reeve Kent Farago said the RM is happy to have the facility there.

“There will be benefit to the local economy, but more importantly this facility along with its staff will change many lives for the better. This is an important endeavour that we are proud to be a part of,” Farago wrote in an email.

The provincial government has announced 251 new or improved treatment and detox beds in Saskatchewan since April 2023 to tackle the addiction problems in the province – part of its plan to create 500 new spaces. EHN Canada is providing 96 of those – the 60 set to open at the Willowview Recovery Centre, and 36 virtual outpatient treatment spaces.

Opened this week

On Wednesday, the provincial government celebrated the opening of 14 new withdrawal management and inpatient addictions treatment spaces at the new Poundmaker Lodge Addictions treatment centre. The lodge is part of the Battlefords Treatment Centre, which is in the repurposed Drumming Hill Youth Centre.

The next day, the province also marked the completion of 15 permanent inpatient addictions treatment spaces at the Muskwa Lake Wellness Camp near Pinehouse – an upgrade from the 12 temporary spaces that had been there.

The provincial government had committed $1.6 million in annual funding to the camp, allowing it to take 120 patients. The improvements to the camp include better spaces for group and individual counselling, an industrial kitchen, and laundry spaces.