IQALUIT — Federal and territorial dignitaries turned tundra on Aug. 14 for Aqqusariaq, an $83.7 million treatment and recovery centre in Nunavut.
The Inuit-designed centre will provide treatment and healing interventions to focus on substance use and will be trauma-centred in Inuit cultural practices and values. Additional resources include community-based programming offering on-the-land healing camps and other in-community supports as well as development of an Inuit workforce to deliver treatment interventions, an Indigenous Services Canada release stated.
“With Aqqusariaq, Inuit will have another opportunity to heal from the impact of residential schools and intergenerational trauma by reclaiming physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. With access to the land and Elders, our healthy food and Inuktut clinical services, Aqqusariaq will have the power to improve Inuit lives for generations to come. After years of planning, today marks a milestone in healing programs and services designed by and for Inuit,” Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) vice-president Paul Irngaut said in a statement.
Approximately $42.1 million in funding came through the federal government with $41.6 million from the Government of Nunavut. NTI provided $5 million towards overall costs of the project and $11.8 million came through the Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation to train Inuit counsellors. Indigenous Services Canada will also provide $9.7 million per year in annual funding towards the costs of operating the centre.
The investment fulfills Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #21, which calls on the federal government to provide sustainable funding for healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harms created by residential schools, especially in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Preparation on the site is underway and construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2023. The centre is expected to reach substantial completion in December 2025.
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