Page 7 - De Novo

The abuse of alcohol and drugs was putting our 2002 the De Novo Treatment Centre had opened in

members at risk. According to the Drug and Alcohol Sundridge, ON with 21 beds for men, with provisions

Registry of Treatment (2002), it was reported that: in place to send women to the Renascent and
• Since 1996, Ontario had lost almost 10 per cent of Homewood facilities, as the home in Sundridge

residential addiction treatment beds (from 2003 could not support a co-ed system.
beds to 1817)

• over 14 per cent of withdrawal management beds BEC: What was behind the decision for Ontario’s

(from 627 beds to 535). unionized construction industry to fund the De Novo
Centre?

In some communities, people must wait as long as: PD: At the time, our Council was looking at how we
• 4 months to be assessed for addiction services could help our members. We were reading the data

• 5 months for admission to a day or evening and knew that the wait times for ministry funded

treatment program beds were unacceptably long. We wanted to help
• almost 6 months for admission to a residential our clients (a) to have access to recovery from a fatal

service. disease, (b) to get them back to work without risk to

The PBCTCO and our employer partners knew themselves or the brothers and sisters they worked
that we could do better for our members, and by alongside with, and (c) To be able to do this where

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