Peer support agency in Thunder Bay, Ont., readies for relocation, new supportive housing

Social Sharing
A peer support agency in Thunder Bay, Ont., is relocating its drop-in centre, as it expands its services to include supportive housing on the south side of town.
People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment (PACE), located at 510 Victoria Avenue E., is a central location for some of the city's most vulnerable. There, they can get food and free clothing, do their laundry, take a shower and connect with others in a safe environment.
The organization has recently become involved in the province's new Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub (HART) program, following the closure of the region's only supervised consumption site, Path 525, at the end of March.
"We love this space. However, to make it work better with the new initiatives coming up by the government and for the initiatives going on in this business area, like the [Victoriaville] mall coming down, our people need a place to go," said Georgina McKinnon, PACE's executive director.
In the coming weeks, PACE will relocate to 409 George St., directly across from Shelter House, remaining in the neighbourhood it's been serving for years.
With the new space comes room for a dozen new supportive housing units, which McKinnon hopes become part of a continuum of care for people recovering from addiction, she said.
"We're hoping to be one of the last steps, that people come out of recovery, go into more heavily-supported housing, down to lightly-supported housing," McKinnon explained. "We can help them out downstairs in PACE before they get out into the world on their own."
The Thunder Bay district continues to have the highest opioid-related death rate in Ontario, at nearly five times the provincial average.
NorWest Community Health Centres, which operated Path 525, is the lead partner for Thunder Bay's HART Hub.
Unlike supervised consumption sites, HART Hubs do not allow supervised drug consumption, safer supply or needle exchange programs. According to the province, they instead focus on providing primary care, employment support, and mental health, addiction and social services — much of which PACE already offers.
"I'm so excited," McKinnon said of the upcoming move. "PACE is expanding in so many ways, it's amazing."
'They help me with all of it'
Everyone who works at PACE has lived experience of the challenges their clients are going through, such as homelessness, addictions and mental health issues.
David Baumgartner is a long-time client at PACE who started coming there when he was staying at an overnight shelter.
"It kind of became like my second home. I'm here often, pretty much every day, for everything from just talking to people to eating to getting clothes, whatever," he said. "They help me with all of it."
He said it's important for the city to support places like PACE, which are open to everyone.
"Even though I have an apartment, I still come here to eat. I come here to get out of the house; it gets depressing sitting in there all the time," Baumgartner said.
"It kind of became like my second home." - David Baumgartner, client at PACE
"It's really important to have a space like this, where people can feel safe."
McKinnon said PACE is planning a seamless transition to its new space to avoid any disruption in services. A moving company is expected to start bringing things over from the Victoria Avenue East location in mid-July.
Renovations have already started at the George Street building, she said.
Her hope is that as PACE expands its presence in the region, more people gain a better understanding of the clients it serves.
"Once you get to know the people that come to PACE, you get a whole different idea of them. They're wonderful people that really want to give back to the community," McKinnon said.
As temperatures begin to rise, she said PACE is most in need of donations of seasonal clothing — especially for men — as well as shoes, kitchen and household items and fans.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CTV News

30 minutes ago

• CTV News

Why one U.S. doctor is moving to Vancouver Island

Dr. Muthana Yacoub has been working as a family physician in Woodland Park, Colo., for six years now. But by November, he will be practising medicine in Colwood, B.C. 'We finally visited this past weekend and we absolutely fell in love with it,' Yacoub said. He'll work at a unique, city-owned clinic, which has recruited four doctors from the U.S., the U.K. and other parts of Canada. Yacoub, who spent part of his childhood living in Toronto, already had Canadian citizenship. He heard about the new Vancouver Island clinic while attending a medical conference in Vancouver last November, and was ready for change. 'You do see this pressure from insurance companies where you feel like you're just kind of catering to their whims and those whims change every six months,' he explained. 'It can be extremely frustrating, because you know what you want to do for the patient, what the right thing to do for the patient is, but you have no efficacy in actually getting that done.' The Ministry of Health is hoping more U.S. doctors feel the same as Yacoub. The province recently began a $5-million recruitment campaign running ads in Washington State, Oregon and parts of California. This week, a branded truck was giving out free coffee to health-care workers in Seattle. 'Doctors of BC supports all efforts to address the province's health workforce challenges,' said Dr. Charlene Lui, the organization's president. 'It's so important to improve timely and quality access to care for our patients.' Lui said Doctors of BC is willing to work with the Ministry of Health and other key partners to 'explore solutions for this very complex issue, including integrating foreign-trained physicians not only from the U.S., but around the globe.' She said they are exploring questions around licensing with stakeholders. The ministry said more than 1,600 health-care providers have expressed an interest in moving to our province. However, despite requests from CTV News, the ministry did not provide any numbers on how many doctors and nurses had actually committed to making the move. In a statement, the ministry said: 'Steps are being taken to get those interested to B.C., but this is a process that takes time.''We are also working with our federal partners on the immigration front,' the statement added. Yacoub said he thinks the biggest barrier for workers coming from the U.S. is 'the concept of moving to a different country and the whole licensing situation.' He also pointed out that America is facing its own family doctor shortage, particularly in rural areas. He said despite flaws in B.C.'s health-care system, he believes it's a much better system than the one he is currently working in. 'Even the poorest among us can get care if they need it, whereas here (in the U.S.), it's a coin toss. They may not get their care at all,' he said, adding that someone should not face bankruptcy to get medical treatment. Yacoub said Colwood has been very welcoming and he can't wait to make B.C. home. 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you,' he said.

CBC

30 minutes ago

• CBC

New totem pole in B.C. acknowledges Canada's legacy of Indian hospitals

Social Sharing An Indigenous community near Prince Rupert, B.C., raised a new memorial totem pole ahead of National Indigenous People's Day to honour those who were affected by the Miller Bay TB Hospital. According to the Lax Kw'alaams Band, the Miller Bay TB Hospital, which operated from 1946 to 1971, was used by the federal government to isolate and treat Indigenous patients with tuberculosis (TB). Many of them were children who were forcibly removed from their communities and patients were often separated from family for years at a time. In a statement, the Lax Kw'alaams Band said Friday's pole raising ceremony was part of a day of remembrance and healing. "We wanted to recognize [and educate] people throughout Canada and B.C. on Miller Bay and the effects that it had on a lot of people," said Joey Wesley, a councillor with Lax Kw'alaams Band. "One way that we wanted to recognize and honour everyone was to carve and raise a totem pole in memory." The pole was carved by Mike Epp, a Tsimshian carver. In a press release, Epp said the monument is made out of red cedar and represents healing for the survivors of Miller Bay TB Hospital. "I can't wait to see how it looks standing up," he said ahead of Friday's event, noting that pole-raising ceremonies bring the community together. The Miller Bay TB Hospital was one of at least three major Indian hospitals that operated in B.C., according to the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. Indian hospitals were substandard facilities operated by the federal government starting in the 1930s to separate Indigenous people from the rest of the Canadian population to stop the spread of tuberculosis. Tens of thousands of First Nations, Inuit and Mé​​​​​tis patients, including children, were admitted to the overcrowded, poorly staffed and unsanitary institutions. Survivors allege they faced physical and sexual abuse from hospital staff, along with forcible confinement to beds without a medical reason. Some say they were also the subject of medical experiments. In March, Ottawa reached a proposed settlement agreement with survivors of Indian hospitals to provide individual compensation ranging from $10,000 to $200,000. Totem pole figure meanings, from bottom to top Epp says that the bottom figure of the totem pole is a shaman. "The shaman is there to help heal the people that are still dealing with their trauma from the hospital," Epp told CBC's Daybreak North. Above the shaman is a figure of a woman chief, who is holding a young man in her hands. "This part represents continuing the traditions, teaching the young people in the tribe how to carry themselves." Four small figures are above the woman chief, representing the people who were lost in the Miller Bay Hospital. On one side are men, on the other side are women. Above that is a foot and a half of blank space where pieces of copper are going to be installed. The copper pieces are being sent to Epp from family members who were impacted. A warrior with copper in one hand, and a spear in another, sits on top of the blank spot. The warrior represents the resilience of First Nations people and their role as guardians of future generations, lands and waters.

Globe and Mail

an hour ago

• Globe and Mail

House approves Bill C-5 to fast-track projects, Carney pledges summer consultations with Indigenous leaders

The House of Commons approved the government's legislation to fast-track big projects Friday before breaking for summer, wrapping up a brief but hectic four-week sitting. Prime Minister Mark Carney marked the event with an evening news conference alongside Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty and other MPs, where he vowed to address Indigenous concerns that the bill would allow Ottawa to override their rights. Mr. Carney laid out a plan for formal summits with Indigenous leaders over the summer to work out the details of how the new project regime will work. He also acknowledged that his government could have done a better job of explaining how the process will ensure Indigenous rights are protected. 'Being a reliable partner to Indigenous peoples is not just about upholding the duty to consult. It's about enabling the creation of long-term wealth and prosperity for Indigenous peoples through full equity ownership,' he said. Carney responds to Indigenous criticism of Bill C-5, says consultation is 'at the heart' of legislation Bill C-5 contains a section that aims to eliminate federal barriers to interprovincial trade and a section that allows the government to list specific large projects as national priorities and then exempt them from various legal requirements to speed up approvals. Mr. Carney said the plan was a central plank of the Liberal platform and pledged that it will be 'the most important economic initiative this country has seen for a long time.' Ms. Gull-Masty, the first Indigenous person to serve as Indigenous Services Minister, said the bill lays out a plan to co-develop projects with Indigenous communities. 'Now the real work begins,' she said. The House of Commons is not scheduled to resume sitting until Sept. 15. But the Indigenous consultations on C-5 are just one of many policy files that will continue to play out over the summer. Canada's 45th Parliament kicked off just a month after the April 28 federal election that returned the Liberals to power with another minority government, this time under Mr. Carney, the party's new leader. Trade tensions with the United States dominated Canadian political debate during the election campaign and that has carried through the early days of the Carney government. Chartrand on Bill C-5: 'We do have to have consent from Indigenous rights holders' The Prime Minister and U.S. President Donald Trump set a 30-day deadline at this week's Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alta., to reach a deal aimed at resolving trade issues between the two countries. Mr. Carney leaves Sunday for Brussels and then The Hague for meetings of the Canada-European Union summit and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. In an interview Friday in Parliament's West Block, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said Canadians should not expect Mr. Carney's pace to slow down during the summer. 'I think that we have a Prime Minister who very much is going to be a 365-day-a-year leader of this country,' he said. Further, he said the sheer number of outside issues that require attention, such as recent developments in the Middle East or wildfires across the country, means there is no slow period in government. 'The pace of events when one is in public life today is beyond dizzying,' he said. In addition to negotiating defence issues with the Europeans and trade matters with Mr. Trump, Mr. Carney's pledge to release a 2025 budget shortly after Parliament resumes means the traditional prebudget lobbying and consultation will run through the summer. Explainer: What federal Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act, is all about Mr. MacKinnon boasted that the Liberals accomplished a lot in a short period, listing the adoption of tax cuts, billions of dollars more for the military and the passing of Bill C-5. In addition to C-5, the House of Commons adopted two bills related to approving government spending. However, other legislation related to border security and tax cuts did not get through the House. Both bills contain elements that are drawing strong criticism from privacy advocates. The tax measures, including an income-tax cut and removing the federal fuel charge, can still go ahead, however, because they were approved in an earlier vote. The government treats tax changes as if they are in place once legislation has received an initial vote of support. Bill C-5 is widely expected to be approved by the Senate next week. Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer said Mr. Carney has not delivered on his campaign pledges to curb government spending, which is why his party voted against two spending bills this week. 'Maybe he gets some points for new rhetoric, but so far, it's pretty much the same Liberal approach on borrowing, spending, talking down our energy sector, refusing to commit to new big energy projects and defending the Liberal crime policies,' he said in an interview Friday. 'Nothing's off the table': AFN warns of potential legal action if Bill C-5 passes The Conservatives supported C-5 and Mr. Scheer said the party will continue to vote in favour of measures if they involve lower taxes or improving the economy. 'If the government is serious about meeting those objectives, we work with them. And if they don't, then we oppose,' he said. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet predicted this week that when the Conservatives return in the fall, after party leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to regain a seat via a summer by-election, the party will be less likely to support the Liberals in the House. 'At a certain point, the Conservatives will return to being Conservatives,' he said at a news conference Wednesday, adding that the Liberals will then be more dependent on Bloc support. NDP interim leader Don Davies said that the Liberals under Mr. Carney are adopting more conservative policies. 'So far, I think the empirical evidence from the Carney government is absolutely that they're a right of centre government,' he said in an interview Friday. 'I mean, the first three things that Mr. Carney did was he ripped three policies directly out of the Conservative playbook. He cancelled the carbon tax, he cancelled the capital-gains inclusion policy and he indicated he was going to cut public service jobs,' he said. Having been reduced to just seven seats in the April election, the NDP no longer has party status and is not invited to the weekly meetings of House leaders that sets the parliamentary agenda. Nonetheless, Mr. Davies said his party has been effective at securing amendments to government legislation and bringing public attention to issues such as wildfires in Western Canada.