‘Waiting kills’: North Battleford man pushes for local detox centre

“So when someone finally says, ‘I’m done and I need help.’ What do we tell them? Go somewhere else, travel hours away, or wait,” he said. “Here’s the ugly truth that nobody wants to admit in addiction: waiting kills.”

He is not an expert, but someone who has lived through it.

His addiction began after a workplace injury in 2019, when prescribed painkillers led to dependency. After his prescriptions were cut off, he turned to street drugs and later trafficking, leading to multiple arrests and about 40 months in custody.

Now in recovery, Gross said the biggest gap is what happens when someone decides they want help but cannot access it immediately.

“I’m here as someone who has lived in addiction, experienced multiple years of incarceration, was given the opportunity to change my life and fought my way into recovery.”

The proposal

Gross’s proposal centres on a clinical and peer-led detox facility designed to provide immediate care for people in crisis.

The centre would offer 24/7 medical monitoring, withdrawal management and mental health screening, alongside peer support from individuals with lived experience of addiction. Daily programming would include structured check-ins, education on recovery and planning for long-term treatment and housing.

He asked council to consider providing a building or land, along with a temporary property tax exemption, to help support development and strengthen applications for funding from other levels of government.

Capital costs are estimated between $1 million and $2 million, with annual operating expenses projected at $2 million to $2.7 million. The project would be carried out in phases, including approvals, site acquisition and renovations – over roughly a year.

Gross presented the proposal as an individual, without affiliation to any organization or level of government, and said he is still developing the proposal. He has reached out to Health Minister and local MLA Jeremy Cockrill and is awaiting a response.

Council signals support but no commitments

“Thanks for sharing your personal story. I can certainly acknowledge that’s not easy to do, but sometimes it’s perspective that all of us need is somehow understanding walking in somebody else’s shoes,” Mayor Kelli Hawtin said.

She noted, however, that municipalities do not fund healthcare services, meaning any detox facility would require provincial involvement.

Hawtin added there are initiatives already being explored in the community, including discussions around detox beds and a planned complex needs facility aimed at supporting individuals outside the justice system.

“But this discussion shouldn’t be lost,” she said, adding she would help connect Gross with provincial representatives to continue the conversation.

Gross said the impacts of addiction are already visible across the community.

“We’re already paying for this addiction crisis, but we are paying for it in all the wrong ways,” he said.

“We are paying for it through our policing and our crime rates. We are paying for it through our emergency rooms and wait times in our hospitals, and we are paying for it through our justice system and our incarceration rates. We’re also paying for it through our social services strain.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘Waiting kills’: North Battleford man pushes for local detox centre

The proposal

Council signals support but no commitments

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