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The opioid crisis is devastating Canadians everywhere. Alberta is no exception, but some communities in Alberta feel its effects worse than others. 

Deaths related to opioid toxicity are seven times higher among Indigenous people in the province, according to the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 Nations. Many of the victims are as young as 20 years old.

The Confederacy claims the death toll has risen since Premier Danielle Smith closed safe consumption sites. Others argue the presence of fentanyl in illegal drug supplies is to blame. 

No matter where you point the finger, thousands of lives are being cut short, and only some communities have the resources to fight back.

Earlier this year, the Alberta government announced a partnership with First Nations to build recovery communities in response to a spike in opioid-related EMS calls. The province partnered with the Siksika Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Blood Tribe, and Tsuut’ina Nation. But other Indigenous communities were not on that list. 

Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation wasn’t included. In a letter to Indigenous Services Canada, Bearspaw Chief Darcy Dixon highlighted the number of opioid poisoning deaths among the band. In his letter, Chief Dixon reported almost 30 deaths among Bearspaw’s 2,000 members, most due to opioid poisoning.

Stoney Nakoda Left Out

Stoney Nakoda has been hit hard. Across all three Stoney Nakoda Nations, including Bearspaw, Goodstoney, and Chiniki, there were almost 60 deaths in 2021 and more than 70 in 2020. Most of these deaths were related to overdoses or substance abuse. This is a massive spike from the 35 deaths in 2018.

There is no question that the number of drug-related deaths is growing among the Stoney Nakoda. So why is government support only being afforded to some Indigenous communities? 

Self Funded Solution

Communities like the Stoney Nakoda don’t have time to wait for an answer. 

Earlier this month, the Nation announced the opening of the Stoney Nakoda Treatment Centre. The 18-bed facility in Mînî Thnî is for residents seeking substance abuse recovery and culturally-centred healing. But the centre has been running a day program since June. 

“We’re using our own dollars to be able to get what we need and to start rolling out and launching the program…100 percent I would love to see us get the treatment centre we deserve, and we’re trying to get funding from possibly the federal and provincial government,” Skilee Dixon, the facility’s manager, told the Rocky Mountain Outlook. 

Almost 40 people have accessed the facility’s day program since it launched. Some complete the program while others leave and come back. Duane Wesley, a peer support counsellor with the treatment centre, claims it doesn’t matter if you miss a session. What’s most important are good outcomes. 

The Stoney Nakoda Treatment Centre also offers a 90-day program divided into three stages: self-love and compassion, trauma-informed care, and reintegration. The first stage helps participants forgive themselves. The second stage focuses on a participant’s trauma and its impact.

“Our second phase is focusing on what has happened to you instead of what is wrong with you. So really changing that wording on there to help our people heal,” Dixon explained to CBC News. 

Stepping Stone

The last stage is the hardest and involves reintegrating participants into the same environment that may have promoted substance use. The treatment centre also helps participants rejoin the community, find employment, get back into education, and find low-income housing. 

“What we do at the day treatment program is just a stepping stone of what they receive in the treatment. And it’s all based in healing in our own way on our own land, and especially utilizing the elders of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and the teachings the elders can give,” said Wesley. 

While Dixon is proud of what the Stoney Nakoda Treatment Centre team has accomplished, she hopes to expand the facility’s programming into a facility the community deserves. 

Currently, the treatment centre lacks operational support and could use all the help it can get. 

Communities like the Stoney Nakoda need immediate action. 

The recovery communities announced by the provincial government take time to build. What happens to those struggling with addiction in the meantime? 

The opioid crisis doesn’t take a vacation. Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by the crisis and need the appropriate resources now.