Advocates warn of gender-based gap in addiction care
Cindy Foster is getting ready to open the Regenesis Centre for Recovery, a first-of-its-kind addictions centre in Manitoba.
"This is the only live-in treatment facility in all of Manitoba for the queer community, specifically,” said Foster.
Foster said this centre aims to provide a home-like atmosphere for those on the road to recovery.
It will be able to house six people at any given time.
"Primarily those that belong to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. (We) will also be looking to give priority intake to those (who) also belong to the BIPOC and disabled communities."
Communities Foster said often fall through the cracks when it comes to addiction services in Manitoba.
"There are a few supports specifically for the queer community, and particularly for those that are transgender in Manitoba, and those folks often have a tough time going through traditional binary treatment options,” said Foster.
That's why she said a centre like this one is desperately needed in the community.
"There are so few resources available. And the ones that are available are stretched very thin," said Foster.
It's a gender-based gap in care the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre has noticed as well.
"One of the greatest needs now is to support women, and especially women with young children, we're seeing a huge gap there,” said Greg Kyllo, the centre’s executive director.
Kyllo said plans are in the works to create an Anne Oake Recovery Centre, geared specifically for women and mothers.
“Currently, at Bruce Oake we support men, but there is a deep need in the community, and we're being asked every day about doing more to support women, and being able to support all genders. And so that's something that we really think that is needed.”
These initiatives come on the heels of two of the worst years for drug-related deaths in Manitoba.
Last year 445 people died, and the year prior, 467.
Foster said she believes these beds at the Regenesis Centre will save lives.
"Because it will allow folks that belong to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to have a safe space to go in order to seek the services for addiction recovery.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Passage of harsh anti-2SLGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
Human rights groups and diplomats criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
A munitions explosion at a Cambodian army base kills 20 soldiers, but its cause is unclear
Security was tight around a military base in southwestern Cambodia on Sunday, a day after a huge explosion there killed 20 soldiers, wounded others and damaged nearby houses.
What Trudeau's podcast appearances say about the Liberals' next ballot box question
Trudeau recently appeared on four podcasts as he travels the country talking up the Liberals' latest budget, which he's pitching as a plan to inject more economic fairness into society for those under 40 — a cohort that has kept Trudeau in power since 2015 but is increasingly turning to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.