Minister distances new facility from future mandatory rehab law

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A new 50-bed drug rehab facility will be for those voluntarily seeking treatment, according to the province’s minister responsible for addictions and mental health.

However, under questioning, Minister Sherry Wilson wouldn’t rule out that people won’t be held against their will and forced into the facility.

“(The Compassionate Intervention Act) hasn’t been introduced yet, so I’ll have more details when that comes forward and I’ll be able to provide you with more details at that time,” she told Green party health critic Megan Mitton before the legislature’s estimates committee this week.

Wilson attempted to distance the province’s new rehab centre from Public Safety Minister Kris Austin’s planned mandatory rehab bill. If passed, the legislation would force those with “extreme” addictions into treatment.

Wilson, who appeared before the estimates committee on her 2024-25 budget, told Mitton her department’s new 50-bed rehab facility is “for voluntary people who want to go to be treated.” She said the idea of the treatment centre was first brought up last fall and has “been talked about for some time.”

Mitton appeared skeptical of the separation between the treatment centre and the mandatory rehab bill expected to be introduced in May. Austin has repeatedly linked the two in media interviews.

“If this (facility) was for voluntary treatment – and only voluntary treatment – I would be in full support, but we’ll have to see because that bill does concern me and they both came up in the fall and that’s what concerns me,” said Mitton, MLA for Memramcook-Tantramar.

Wilson hinted an announcement on the location of the facility is expected in the “very near future.” She wouldn’t say how much the new centre will cost but cited $240,000 in this year’s budget to cover setup and recruitment costs.

In December, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure purchased the former WorkSafeNB worker rehabilitation centre on the outskirts of Grand Bay-Westfield. At the time, the department wouldn’t provide its future plans for the 41,000-square-foot campus it purchased for $3.7 million.

Last week, Premier Blaine Higgs said in the legislature his government still plans to bring forward a Compassionate Intervention Act this session. Austin first mentioned the creation of this legislation last fall.

Critics of mandatory rehab say such legislation could violate Charter rights and can lead to a greater risk of overdose once patients are released from treatment.

Higgs was asked by reporters last week about the legality of the moves he mentioned in the legislature. He said “that debate will come in” once the bill is introduced.

Under questioning from Mitton, Wilson wouldn’t say Thursday whether she supports “coercion” in mental health treatment.

“At this point, our focus is on increasing capacity for treatment for people with mental health and addictions,” the minister replied. “I’ll be able to answer some of your questions later when the bill is introduced.”

More than 100 rehab beds needed: 2019 study

As many as 200 people are currently waiting between three and eight months for a rehab bed in the province.

That’s according to Health Minister Bruce Fitch, who revealed the number during his own appearance before the estimates committee this week. He cautioned that number could include the people on the waitlist twice because they’re registered for both Horizon’s Ridgewood Addiction Services in Saint John and Vitalité’s Centre for Hope and Harmony in Campbellton.

Ten more rehab beds – four at Ridgewood and six at Campbellton – have been added since last September, Wilson said. Once the new 50-bed facility opens, that will bring the total to 60.

“I have to say that I’m proud to be part of a government that recognizes the need, and this 50-bed facility is going to be a phenomenal move forward for those who suffer from substance use disorder,” she said Thursday.

However, Wilson acknowledged more beds will still be needed, citing a 2019 study recommending the province add 119 new beds into its addiction treatment system.

Liberal public safety critic and Shediac-area MLA Jacques LeBlanc questioned the validity of that figure given the surge of mental health and addiction issues following the pandemic.

“I’m not a mathematician, but I can tell you this doesn’t add up,” he said, suggesting the province needed to undertake another study.

Wilson said she’s asked staff to “reconfirm some of these numbers.” However, she dismissed the idea of a new study, saying intervention workers are “monitoring these situations daily” and the department is aware of the challenges facing addiction treatment.

“We recognize there is a need out there – it’s been a growing need for the last few years and I think we all see that – and we’re moving to address those needs.”

– With files from Andrew Waugh