Sask. CEO questions hiring of Toronto-based addiction treatment company over local operator

The owner of a Saskatchewan recovery centre is questioning why the government picked a Toronto-based company to run the province’s largest addiction treatment facility.

Edgewood Health Network (EHN) was selected to operate a 60-bed centre in Lumsden, Sask. — now called Willowview Recovery Centre.

EHN is an addictions treatment provider, headquartered in Toronto, with facilities across the country.

Jacqueline Hoffman, the CEO of Prairie Sky Recovery Centre in Wilkie, Sask., applied to supply more treatment spaces for the province, but was rejected.

Hoffman said it’s frustrating that local providers “already doing good work here, established here in the province” were denied the contract.

“It’s disheartening when your government prioritizes these outside-entities over organizations who are right here in the province,” Hoffman told CTV News.

“You wonder what’s the future for small organizations, like myself. When you bring Walmart into the small town that you’re in, are you going to be put out of business by your own government?”

Hoffman said her frustration grew after learning the Willowview Recovery Centre couldn’t open on time.

The facility was originally scheduled to open its doors in the Spring of 2024.

One of the centre’s former employees said the waitlist was at 200 people when she left in October.

The Ministry of Health said it began intake for its first 20 inpatient spaces about two weeks ago, on Jan. 21.

Hoffman said local facilities could have been funded to provide inpatient care during the approximately nine months it was unavailable at Willowview.

“We’re right here at home ... We could have been helping people in real time,” Hoffman said.

The remaining 40 inpatient spaces are expected to open in the Spring of 2025, according to the province.

The Ministry of Health said renovations are underway to turn outpatient areas into inpatient spaces — which would allow people to stay for treatment overnight.

CTV News has contacted the Ministry of Health, asking why it chose EHN over a local provider.

Hoffman said she had meetings with the province for a year, after submitting the application to run Willowview.

“I felt like we had been strung along,” Hoffman said.

Prairie Sky Recovery Centre was founded by Hoffman’s mother and has been in business for 17 years.

Willowview’s treatment can include detox, therapy, holistic approaches, 24/7 nursing staff, fitness, outdoor activities and cultural supports.