In collaboration with partners, the regional council says it has acquired a property in Timmins at 1800 Riverside Drive for the creation of this centre which would offer comprehensive mental health and addiction treatment services, as well as supports for homelessness prevention.
Project partners include Mushkegowuk Council, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Timmins and District Hospital.
The district services board says it is responding to the provincial government’s call for the creation of hubs to help the homeless and fight addictions (or HART hubsin English) to replace supervised consumption centers.
In a statement, Jean Carrière, Director of Health for the Cochrane District Services Board (CSDC), said the province’s announcement of the HART centres came at the right time and that the CEBE Centre of Excellence for Wellness was already being promoted at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference when the Minister of Health made the announcement.
Cochrane District Services Board Health Director Jean Carriere stresses the need for the proposed centre. (File photo)
Photo : Radio-Canada / Jean-Loup Doudard
The wellness centre of excellence is more than just a facility; it is a vital support for our community, which has been asking for it for years, says Mr. Carrière, adding that we will respond to the province’s call for tenders.
In its response to the HART Centres RFP, the Cochrane District Services Council (CSDC) and its partners are seeking a provincial investment of more than $4.4 million per year to support the facility’s operations.
The organization says the funding will go toward withdrawal management, treatment beds and support.
The Cochrane District Services BoardCSDC further advocated for additional funding from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing at the Association of Municipalities of OntarioAMO conference, which would include a one-time increase of $1.5 million for renovations and an ongoing annual increase of $1 million to support transitional housing initiatives.
Although the province has indicated operational start dates for the HART centres in March 2025, the CEBE is expected to open sooner, given the collaborative progress made to date, the release said.
Natalie Carle, director of clinical services at Timmins and District Hospital, said the announcement is the culmination of several years of work.
Work to create the Timmins and Area Wellness Centre began almost five years ago with a funding application in 2020 and has continued as we remain committed to ensuring northerners have access to safe, equitable and evidence-based mental health and addictions services, she said in the release.
The supervised consumption centre in Timmins closed its doors a few weeks ago due to lack of funding.
