Detox centre to be built in have-not community

Nunavut’s proposed detoxification facility will be located in a non-decentralized community that has yet to be determined, Health Minister Ed Picco said in the legislative assembly in Pangnirtung last week.

Premier Paul Okalik first mentioned the creation of a detox centre during a speech at an alcohol and drug addictions conference in Montreal in September.

Picco clarified the plan in the House on Oct. 29. It will be a “limited detox centre” aided by community wellness programs aimed at treating alcohol and drug abuse with a “holistic approach,” he said.

In putting together the program, the department is focusing on creating an “IQ for detoxification,” he said.