Nor’Wester Hotel and Conference Centre holds space for First Nations alcohol‑drug detox centre
Nor’Wester Hotel and Conference Centre is holding space for First Nations community, Long Lake #58 to host its alcohol-drug detox centre program—the Better Together Wellness Strategy.
Long Lake #58 is an Ojibway community about 300 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont. 42 of its members arrived at the Nor’Wester Hotel—which is partially owned by the First Nation, to participate in a 10-day detox program.
The community has booked more than 50 hotel rooms, where participants receive on-site medical and social support and hourly room checks, as they go through withdrawal from alcohol or drugs and prepare for a full treatment program.
Fewer than 600 people live in Long Lake #58, with the majority of members living in Thunder Bay or Winnipeg. The First Nation does not have a dedicated detox centre in the community, and the only such facility in the northwestern Ontario city has just 25 beds.
The program aims to encourage collective healing through sharing circles and other cultural programming. The Thunder Bay district has the highest opioid-related death rate in the province, according to Ontario's Office of the Chief Coroner.
