Onion Lake Cree Nation welcomed the addition of 15 detox beds to the Ekweskeet Healing Lodge on Tuesday. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos
A sense of hope was felt throughout Onion Lake Cree Nation with the addition of 15 detox beds to the community’s Ekweskeet Healing Lodge.
“We had lost hope, including our young people, some who have committed suicide, and that’s evidence they’d lost hope,” said Chief Henry Lewis following Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This is a sense of bringing that hope back. Although we have a lot of hurdles to go through, I know we’ll get there eventually.”
Lewis was joined by members of the Onion Lake community, including the director of the Onion Lake Health Board, Albert Jimmy, local dignitaries, and two members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), 2nd Vice Chief Edward “Dutch” Lerat and 4th Vice Chief Craig McCallum.
Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations’ 2nd Vice Chief Edward “Dutch” Lerat and 4th Vice Chief Craig McCallum speak during opening remarks at the grand opening of Onion Lake Cree Nation’s Ekweskeet Healing Lodge’s 15 new detox beds on Tuesday.
For Jimmy, the Ekweskeet Healing Lodge, which first opened in 1987, holds a special place in his heart as it taught him an important lesson about substance abuse.
“I was involved as an administrator at the time, and really didn’t know much about the program,” said Jimmy.
“An elder said ‘I think you need to go through the program for 28 days, and then you can come back and talk about it.
“At that time I had problems with alcohol and thought it was a good time to go in because I’d blend in with the group. Monday morning came, I showed up, and none of the leaders showed up,” he said with a chuckle.
“I went through it, and ever since then, I’ve quit drinking, so this place is dear to me. I was 42 years old at the time, and the point here is, people don’t have to wait until they’re 42 to start healing.”
McCallum noted the timing of the grand opening couldn’t have been better with the changing of seasons.
“We’re in a time of renewal, and it’s fitting this detox centre is opening during this season,” he said.
“The people that come here and access the centre, they’re going to leave reborn, renewed, recharged, and go home and create new norms for their families. They’re going to break cycles of trauma for youth, so it’s a really beautiful because of what it means and what this centre will mean for the people that access it,” he said.
“Our people have been dealing with issues we didn’t create, dealing with trauma we inherited, so being able to create opportunities like this to support our people in turning intergenerational hurt into intergenerational healing is a beautiful thing to see.”
Lerat followed McCallum’s remarks in thanking Chief Lewis and council for continuing to be so culturally focused in everything they do.
“It’s so important to have those ceremonies when watching the future and what the future holds for those that have challenges in different areas,” said Lerat.
“This is what our forefathers meant when they said ‘a medicine chest on every First Nation,” he added in relation to the importance of the detox beds.
“Onion Lake is focused on holistic healing; healing the community, and what’s happening here today is one portion of that healing going forward,” he said.
“Holistic healing starts with housing, our children, ensuring they have a good house, a place to sleep, good meals and has a place in the education system.”
For the Chief, the detox beds aren’t just a sign of hope, they’re also a way of setting a better example for youth.
“We need to work on our youth; the demographics look pretty scary,” he said.
“Youth are going to be taking over, so if we don’t do anything now, I can’t imagine if they all got out of control.”
And when it comes to setting a good example for today’s youth, Lewis explained he’s honoured to have people like Albert Jimmy in his corner.
“He’s walking the talk, and that’s very important. He’s been there and he walked it.”
