Thursday, May 2, 2024
VOLUME 6 I ISSUE 45
MERIDIANSOURCE.CA
Onion Lake welcomes detox beds TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR
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A sense of hope was felt throughout Onion Lake Cree Nation with the addition of 15 detox beds to the community’s Ekweskeet Healing Lodge. “We had lost hope, including our young people, some who have committed suicide, and that’s evidence they’d lost hope,” said Chief Henry Lewis following Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This is a sense of bringing that hope back. Although we have a lot of hurdles to go through, I know we’ll get there eventually.” Lewis was joined by members of the Onion Lake community, including the director of the Onion Lake Health Board, Albert Jimmy, local dignitaries, and two members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), 2nd Vice Chief Edward “Dutch” Lerat and 4th Vice Chief Craig McCallum. For Jimmy, the Ekweskeet Healing Lodge, which first opened in 1987, holds a special place in his
Onion Lake Cree Nation welcomed the addition of 15 detox beds to the Ekweskeet Healing Lodge on Tuesday. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos heart as it taught him an important lesson about substance abuse. “I was involved as an administrator at the time, and really didn’t know much about the program,” said Jimmy. “An elder said ‘I think you need to go through the program for 28 days, and then you can come back and talk about it. “At that time I had problems with alcohol and thought it was a good time to go in because I’d blend in with the group. Monday morning came, I showed up, and none of
the leaders showed up,” he said with a chuckle. “I went through it, and ever since then, I’ve quit drinking, so this place is dear to me. I was 42 years old at the time, and the point here is, people don’t have to wait until they’re 42 to start healing.” McCallum noted the timing of the grand opening couldn’t have been better with the changing of seasons. “We’re in a time of renewal, and it’s fitting this detox centre is opening during this season,” he said.
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