(From left to right) North Battleford Mayor David Gillan, Brad Cardinal, executive director for Poundmaker's Lodge and Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill gather during an information session at the Battleford Legion on Wed., Feb. 21. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Treatment Centre

Poundmaker’s Lodge hosts information session for community leaders

Feb 22, 2024 | 6:00 AM

It was a single moment that created the possibility that life could be different for those with addictions in the Battlefords.

Brad Cardinal, executive director of Poundmaker’s Lodge Treatment Centres was visiting the area some time ago when he stepped outside a local mall.

“I was tired, I sat there, and I was having a cigarette,” he said, noting as he was standing outside, heard something coming from a nearby garbage can.

“This young man – young Indigenous man – stepped out of the garbage can and he looked at me and I looked at him and the first thing that I saw on his face was overwhelming shame,” he said. “The shame of his life and his conditions and where he was at in his life.”

The executive director was overcome by feelings of sadness that people still suffer in this day and age and Cardinal said his “humanness” came out. After buying the young man some food and having a conversation, he came to a decision: the area would be given the chance to heal.

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“That led to us wanting to be able to contribute to this community in some way and so we submitted the proposal for services,” he said, referring to the future Battlefords Treatment Centre.

In the Royal Canadian Legion Branch Nine, Cardinal and the staff of Poundmaker’s Lodge hosted an information session for community leaders and organizations to learn more about the facility and what it will offer the Battlefords and surrounding areas.

“I’m so grateful that you’re here today, and we hope that this becomes a valuable service to the members of this region,” Cardinal said. “With your help and contribution, we can steer it in the right direction.”

For Mayor David Gillan, it’s a process.

“I’m processing and I’m still here listening and learning and hoping this blends well into our community,” he said. “I hope it comes into the community and slots nicely into our services that we have now and to provide some more hope for people who really need help.”

Along with presentations from the lodge staff about the methodology used in their healing practices and personal experiences that led them to the organization, others including members of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous provided powerful testimony about their addictions.

Those stories, and the one about the young man Cardinal met, are what brought the treatment centre to the Battlefords, according to Carla Jamison, community engagement officer.

“It made us aware that our work is needed here, that we need to continue that treatment beyond our borders, beyond Alberta and create that safe space for people here,” she said. “Doing the outreach and having the community engagement such as what we’re doing here now gives us an idea of what the needs are.”

Jamison explained that based on what they are learning from the community, they will be able to tailor treatment and support.

“The only way that we can help people is to find out what they need. We can’t assume, we can’t make assessments based on what we think might be their needs, we have to go out in the trenches.”

At the moment, they are hoping to open the centre in the former Drumming Hill Youth Centre sometime this spring. When they do open, they will have 14 beds where patients can take part in a 42-day plan.

According to Jeremy Cockrill, Battlefords MLA, it’s an exciting prospect to have the healing centre with half a century of experience come to the area.

“What we heard today is really that obviously, treatment’s important but building that community support in terms of aftercare and other services for people that have gone through the treatment program – that’s going to be really important for us as a community going forward” he said.

“We are very focused on transitioning our approach to mental health addictions to recovery-oriented standard of care and really excited out this particular treatment centre plays a role in that.”

Meanwhile, Cardinal said that working collaboratively with community partners such as corrections, health care, and police, can “create a beautiful service that benefits all.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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