TIMMINS - The day before the services board submitted an application for a proposed mental health and addiction treatment centre, an update on the project was given for the first time in a month.
At Thursday’s Cochrane District Services Board meeting, director of health Jean Carriere talked about the Wellness Centre of Excellence (WCE) proposal.
At the meeting, Timmins Coun. Steve Black, who is a newly appointed member of the board, stressed the need for clear communication on the project and called for transparency in discussions with residents.
For the proposed facility, CDSB is buying the Ramada Inn in the west end of Timmins. The agency is applying to be one of the new provincial Homelessness and Addictions Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs. The deadline to apply is today (Oct. 18). Approved projects are expected to be announced in November.
SEE: Service board officially backs proposed Timmins treatment facility
CDSB is asking for up to $6.3 million per year for three years and up to $1.8 million in one-time funding. Under the HART Hub model, $1.3 million of the $6.3 million annually would be specifically for supportive housing. Major capital costs for new or full building renovations are not eligible for funding.
The goal is to create a centralized service hub offering mental health and addiction treatment services and transitional housing support. It wouldn’t allow supervised consumption on site or hand out harm reduction supplies.
“The Wellness Centre of Excellence is designed not just to meet the immediate needs, but to build on the foundation for lasting change through integrated, culturally safe, and client-centred services,” Carriere said.
Throughout this process, community involvement is crucial, Black said. He emphasized the importance of clear communication regarding the services offered and advocated for transparency in discussions with residents.
“If we've learned anything at this table, it should be that we need to take into account what the impacts on a neighbourhood are,” he said.
“If there are some, there has to be a mechanism to have those come in and have them addressed and support the neighbourhood that it is going to go into.”
Board intends to talk to council
The public rollout of the project has been contentious.
SEE: Proposed Timmins wellness centre meeting erupts, board member resigns
RELATED: CDSB buying Timmins hotel for proposed wellness centre
A public information session last month left many people with more questions than answers and led Timmins Coun. Rock Whissell to resign from the CDSB board.
In September, Timmins council called on the community partners involved in the hub application to present at a council meeting and clearly explain the model, what services would be delivered, and the potential impacts on the neighbourhood.
The WCE proponents were not at the Tuesday, Oct. 15 council meeting, which would have allowed the project to be discussed publicly ahead of the application being submitted.
“Our intention is to return to Timmins council to provide an update on the proposed WCE, and work on a presentation is underway. A date has not yet been confirmed,” wrote CDSB communications manager Kaileigh Russell in an email.
To date, CDSB has not talked at a Timmins council meeting about the Ramada Inn project.
The last time there was public communication was on Sept. 19, when frequently asked questions were shared on its Facebook page and website.
While the monthly CDSB meeting is public, people can not attend in person. The public can watch a video stream. The link to join the meeting used to be publicly accessible on the main page of its website, however, has not been for the past two meetings.
Russell said CDSB and its partners are focused on developing the HART Hub proposal and a “comprehensive engagement plan for the upcoming phases of this project”.
“Through feedback received, a project website is being developed which will house updated information about the HART Hub application process, proposed WCE and any upcoming engagement sessions. While CDSB is leading submission of the proposal, the proposed WCE is a collaborative project involving seven core partners and over 30 total partners. It’s important to ensure our engagement plan includes the voices of all partners who are supporting this important work,” she wrote.
“Opportunities to provide feedback and learn more about the proposed WCE will continue as we finalize service and delivery plans for the proposed WCE.”
As for the official sale of the Ramada Inn, as of today (Oct. 18) the building is still showing as being owned by the numbered company 1000912951 Ontario Limited.
“As per the terms of a disclosure agreement with the owner, details cannot be shared at this time. Information will be made public in compliance with the agreement at a later date,” said Russell.
Existing facility clarifies its roll
The partners that have been publicly listed for the project are the CDSB, Timmins and District Hospital, Canadian Mental Health Association — Cochrane-Timiskaming, urban Indigenous service partners, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children's Services, Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services, Timmins Academic Health Team, the Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre and Northern College.
The Jubilee Centre, an addiction and concurrent disorders treatment and recovery facility in Timmins, has issued a news release to clarify that it is not currently a partner in the project.
The release is in response to the Sept. 17 Timmins council meeting when it was mentioned that the Jubilee Centre is a partner.
"Jubilee Centre wants to be transparent about this matter and clarify for the record that currently, it is not a partner in the DSSAB Hart Hub submission. Jubilee Centre has requested more information of CDSB and awaits a reply. We therefore do not currently have sufficient information to assess this opportunity and whether to become a partner," it reads.
While the Jubilee Centre knew about CDSB and its partners working on a proposal, it says it wasn't involved in developing it.
"It would appear that the lead partners have put a great deal of time and effort into the HART Hub project. Jubilee is eager to learn in more detail about the submission and remains open to further discussion with the lead partners on what a partnership with Jubilee might look like," reads the news release.
"Meanwhile, Jubilee will continue to engage and work with our many partners as we have historically done, while remaining open to considering how we can collectively and individually better serve those who need a more responsive and specialized sustainable health and social service system."
Client use, outcomes data to be tracked
The WCE's catchment area would go from Chapleau to Constance Lake First Nation, up the James Bay coast, to the Quebec border and also include the Timiskaming District.
Primary healthcare will be delivered by nurse practitioners and registered nurses. The number of staff required has not been shared.
One of the main goals is to streamline access to housing, mental health, addiction services and healthcare, all under one roof, Carriere said. He said this centralized approach aims to make it easier for people to find the help they need.
Carriere said the WCE would prioritize culturally appropriate, trauma-informed care tailored specifically to Indigenous communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, francophones, new Canadians and others facing marginalization.
“We want to promote long-term recovery by facilitating life stabilization and recovery through access to safe beds, supportive housing, addiction recovery programs, and employment pathways,” he said.
Carriere believes the facility will alleviate pressure on local hospitals and decrease non-emergency 911 calls.
Mental health and addiction support would include withdrawal management, long-term recovery programs and psychiatric care, Carriere said.
The proposed Indigenous-focused services include land-based healing programs, traditional counselling and culturally appropriate spaces, like sweat lodges and ceremonial grounds.
“In regards to the governance structures, we will include a board and an executive leadership team that will ensure all services align with community needs, focusing on client-centred and culturally safe care,” Carriere said.
Data will be collected to track service use and client outcomes, he said. This includes monitoring client success in areas such as housing stability, employment and mental health recovery.
“We are going to monitor monthly, quarterly, and annually, to guide the services and adjust and improve as required,” he said.
“We can't open a service or offer these services like this without putting risk management mitigation processes in place, and some of the things that we want to work on are early partner engagement and regular check-ins with secure commitments. So that is secured commitments from our partners and agencies are going to be involved.”
Marissa Lentz-McGrath is a Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter for TimminsToday. The LJI program is funded by the Government of Canada.
