POUCE COUPE -- Since a public health emergency was declared in in April 2016, over 8800 British Columbians have died from illicit drugs. Northern BC has the highest death rate per capita from illicit drug use in the province.

One of the biggest challenges in overcoming drug addiction is the lack of long-term support in the form of treatment. North Wind Wellness Centre believes they have a solution in the form of a new addiction centre they’ve proposed in Pouce Coupe.

“A person might go to detox, and they get discharged, and they go back to an unsafe environment and end up using again,” says Isaac Hernandez, Executive Director of North Wind. “And then we have that revolving door concept, where the person comes in an out.”

So the new centre would incorporate a supportive housing program. When residents are admitted, they would undergo a 14-day detox program, followed by 3 months of inpatient treatment. Then, they could continue to stay for up to 2 years.

During that time, they would have access to trades training, life skill coaching, and even an agricultural program where they could raise plants and animals. Residents would pay around $350 a month, but would have to be actively working on recovery.

“The purpose is to heal from the inside, and as a result it will reflect changes on the outside,” says Hernandez.

North Wind currently operates a 6-week inpatient addiction recovery program at their 10-bed facility in Farmington. They plan to use their holistic, wellness-based approach at the new facility. An important part of the detox phase will be wraparound support from medical professionals, counsellors, social workers, and Indigenous elders.

North Wind brought their plans to the Village Council last week asking for a building permit. Council hasn’t made a decision yet, but Councillor Barb Smith likes the idea.

“I know three people that have passed away because of drugs,” says Smith. “Now, I’m not saying that they could have prevented it, but we have a big issue, and it has to be in somebody’s backyard.”

Back in 2015, when North Wind bought the former Peace Haven senior’s home, there was backlash from some Pouce Coupe residents who opposed a treatment centre in their “backyard.” Then the project saw another setback when the property burned down in 2019.

But now, Northern Health, the First Nations Health Authority, BC Housing, and the Treaty 8 Tribal Association have all thrown their support behind the idea, and Hernandez is optimistic about the centre’s potential.

“A lot of those deaths are preventable, and I think a program like this will prevent those deaths.”