The Poundmaker’s Lodge and Treatment Centre says the province is no longer paying for a day addictions and recovery program. “We contacted the minister of Indigenous relations, we contacted the minister responsible for addiction and mental health, we contacted Recovery Alberta, and the last response we received is that we would not receive funding and they would need to go back at some point and consult with stakeholders,” said the treatment centre’s executive director, Brad Cardinal. Poundmaker’s Lodge says government funding for the program amounted to $600,000. Organizers say flexibility allowed people to access culturally specific services without committing to a longer care program or taking an extended period off. “The day program helped people walk through that door and say, ‘Hey, I need help and I can’t go to treatment. But I can do this program for three weeks, and three weeks is a start,’” said former day program client Anne Green. In a statement, the ministry of mental health and addiction says the province provides $6.8 million annually to the Poundmaker’s Lodge, adding that a fire at the lodge’s facilities in 2025 resulted in the reallocation of day program funding to help displaced clients. According to Poundmaker’s Lodge, there were 143 people on the waitlist for the program. “There are other people out there who want the help, and they’re taking that away,” said former client James Langley. “That doesn’t really make sense to me.” The province said the reallocation of funds was intended as an interim measure until the bed-based program could reopen, which happened in March.
