The final detail of the wellness, treatment and recovery centre are being finalized. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Healing Centre

Shape of wellness centre coming in the form of an eagle: LLRIB Chief

Mar 12, 2019 | 4:07 PM

Plans are coming together for the Lac La Ronge Indian Band’s (LLRIB) new wellness, treatment and recovery centre.

The second meeting in determining what the new facility will look like was held today at Kitsaki Hall. Local residents and band representatives met with architects from March Consultants based in Saskatoon. According to LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, the project teams includes Health Canada, the provincial government, band officials and community members.

“I’m happy to see the number of people coming out to help us with the design,” she said. “We broke out into three groups. We all have the same design. We’re looking at it and talking about what we need [to] build on from what we had last month.”

So far, the building resembles the shape of an eagle with in-patient care housed in one wing and out-patient care in the other. The space will include a multi-purpose room for activities, a sweat lodge, kitchen, walking path and a indoor-heated garage for the preparation of meats and hides. Cook-Searson noted treatment will have Woodland Cree culture incorporated into the programming, which would accept in-patient clients on either a six-week or eight-week basis.

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Existing infrastructure such as the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre and Youth Haven on Bigstone Lake will also be used to support those accessing the new facility. In the last several years, Cook-Searson added the band has been spending money at the Youth Haven space and will continue to do so as part of the centre’s business plan. She said its important clients have access to activities like hunting and fishing while seeking treatment at the wellness centre.

“We’re looking at what works in other places and enhancing what we already have with the detox at the hospital and transitioning people,” Cook-Searson said.

LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said the preliminary plan for the building resembles an eagle. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

The centre will be built between the Jeannie Bird Clinic and Highway 2 as the land has already been cleared of trees and is serviced by all utilities. Once built, the band hopes a psychologist can be hired and clients will be involved with western therapies, as well as traditional Cree and land-based healing.

At a public announcement last month, $11.6 million was committed by the federal government for the wellness centre. Another $2.5 million was committed by the province and LLRIB Health Services contributed $2 million. Cook-Searson stated final plans could be ready for tender this spring.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno