Several projects in northern Ontario got federal funding on Wednesday to help address critical needs connected to the illegal drug crisis. One of those recipients is the Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services. Along with offering primary health care and mental health support, the staff at Maamwesying is also on the front lines of the illegal drug crisis. They see firsthand the devastating effects of substance use. “Our vision is rooted in Anishinaabe teachings that remind us healing happens through relationship, community and balance and that our role is to walk beside our relatives as they reclaim wellness in their own way and on their own time,” said Chantelle Evans, the health service’s director of mental health and addictions. The Indigenous health organization was one of eight projects across Ontario on the receiving end of a total of $11.4 million from the Emergency Treatment Fund. Sault Ste. Marie-Algoma MP Terry Sheehan announced the federal funding at the Maamwesying location on Albert Street on Wednesday. Sheehan said the fund is meant to help communities respond to needs related to the illegal drug crisis. “In rural Canada, in northern Ontario, in Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities that we could fund these important initiatives that’s going to combat this,” he said. Maamwesying will see $3.6 million to address substance use in urban Sault Ste. Marie and the North Shore. “We recognize that for many Indigenous people mainstream systems have not always felt safe, accessible or responsive,” said Allan Moffat, CEO of Mamawenan North Shore Tribal Council. “There are real and ongoing concerns about the care people receive, the barriers they face and the impact of historical and systemic inequities.” The money will help the organization strengthen its client connection model and its outreach program. “They also allow us to identify challenges early and respond with care before situations become crisis,” Evans said. “When people feel connected, they are more likely to stay engaged and experience positive outcomes.” Also on the funding list was the $3.5 million announced last year for the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Outreach and Wellness Response Team to allow its Wellness Bus to provide low-barrier access to medical, mental health, addiction, harm reduction and housing support. Ngwaagan Gamig Recovery Centre will see $79,712 to operate a fully-equipped six bed residential Pretreatment Transition Home in Wiikwemkoong. Wiidookaage Waabandan, a program in Birch Island will receive $1,050,623 to provide 24-hour on-call support, in-person response and training. Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory will get $160,019 to hire a program coordinator to lead the development and implementation of a healing program called Kii Daanaandwengwan (The Earth is Healing Me). It will connect members to culture and the land to address substance use issues. Other projects announced are based in Kenora, Orillia and Thunder Bay.
