There are some details yet to be worked out but Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli confirms the news on the hosting of a mental health and addictions treatment centre operated by a provider to be determined by Ontario Health will be released soon.
From recent meetings, the Northern Ontario Large Urban Mayors presented a united front, demanding their northern Ontario cities each receive one of the in-demand but scarce HART (Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hubs.
Fedeli says that won't be necessary for North Bay.
"I call that 'the HART Hub 1.0,' Fedeli says of the renovated Lakeshore Drive building in an interview on Friday. "We already have our facility with 53 beds. The HART Hub is the next version for those who didn't get what we already got ... there are only 19 of these second-version HART Hubs coming out — we already got ours."
See related: Canadore 'discontinuing' Lakeshore addictions treatment project
In late November, Ontario Health began working to keep the 53 addiction treatment centre beds in North Bay after it moved on from a failed agreement with Canadore College to staff and operate the proposed Northern Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre of Excellence.
See also: Ontario Health 'lost confidence in Canadore's ability' to open centre
"After careful consideration, a decision has been made to terminate the province’s contract with Canadore College," stated Ontario Health.
With new life for the much-delayed project and Canadore out as the operator, it is a safe bet a proponent with experience in the sector — think CMHA North Bay — will take over where Ontario Health felt the local post-secondary institution could not.
The Lakeshore Drive property is situated in a high-traffic mixed-use neighbourhood with a nearby elementary/intermediate school, a long-term care facility, and several commercial and residential properties.
"I think we've already got our share, Fedeli added. "The HART Hubs — and I know there are lots of questions about the mental health and addiction place — you're going to get some answers on that in the very near future," he promised.
See also: 'Enough is enough' as Province cracks down on homeless encampments
Although Canadore never fully divulged its plans for the proposed facility's clientele, a bold stance by the Ford government and plans to introduce legislation that will give municipalities and police new resources and enforcement power to address the growing problem of homeless encampments and crack down on illegal drug use in parks and public spaces could see locals moved from the streets directly to the treatment centre.
“Mayors and residents from communities across Ontario have been clear that enough is enough when it comes to encampments and illegal drug use in our parks and public spaces,” said Premier Doug Ford. “People facing homelessness or addiction and mental health challenges should be supported in the right settings.”
See: Anti-encampment bill promises to give Ontarians back their parks
Fedeli concurs with Ford. "We want our parks to be safe for our kids. We want our downtown and our Main Street to be a place of commerce, where the business community can thrive and where families can go and feel safe with their kids and that's not the case today.
"We also understand that a lot of the people that you encounter have mental health and addiction issues. So we are making $75.5 million immediately available. To help with a wrap-around service and to help find the facilities ... to help those who are in most need."
Fedeli expects shares of that $75.5 million will flow directly to what he calls the "solution providers" within the municipalities.
"You will see different solutions in different communities, and how they handle it. It could be completely different but it's got to be done immediately. We have put that money aside for that very purpose. Municipalities have an opportunity now. We want them to align with what we're saying needs to be done. Municipalities that align with us will find that there are financial resources available to help them do this."
