Poundmaker's lodge says N.W.T. gov't lacked 'cultural understanding' of Indigenous healing

An Indigenous-run addictions treatment centre says it asked for its contract with the N.W.T. to be terminated because the territorial government lacks a "cultural understanding" of the work the lodge does.

Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centres, near Edmonton, was the only Indigenous healing centre the territorial government had a contract with, meaning residents in need of its services could attend at no cost. 

When the last treatment centre in the N.W.T. closed in 2013, the health minister at the time said the territory's contract with Poundmaker's was a useful alternative to no longer having a facility in the territory. 

But that contract ended on Oct. 29.

"As an Indigenous organization … we didn't like the idea of, you know, a governing body trying to tell us how to do our work," said Siobhan Dreelan, the community engagement officer at Poundmaker's. 

"It's almost a lack of cultural understanding when it comes to Indigenous healing from the government side and so I think there's a lot of learning that needs to happen in governments, when it comes to Indigenous-led healing." 

She said on a previous visit to Yellowknife, Poundmaker's discovered how difficult it was for clients to access funding to attend the facility.

"We visited some of our referral sources here in Yellowknife and learning they had to go to like four counselling sessions and there were all these kinds of barriers for them just to get funding to come to treatment," Dreelan said. 

Jeremy Bird, a spokesperson for the department of health, said in an email that the territorial government no longer requires clients to attend four counselling sessions. He said this was a policy removed five years ago. 

"This was removed to reduce barriers to access and to establish a more client-centered approach to care that recognizes that people are often at different places in their healing journey and readiness."

He said a variety of health professionals can refer a client to a treatment centre. 

Virginia Duran, an addictions counsellor with Poundmaker's, said she agreed with Dreelan that the partnership with the territorial government was not working. 

"We became vocal and worked with individuals, but then it got to a point where it added work to what we were doing," she said.

Duran said there were specific examples of clients being cleared to attend, who were medically unable to.