“When we intervene early, we can set kids down a different course for the rest of their lives.”
Those were BC Premier David Eby’s words at UNBC this morning, just before announcing funding for a new “Northern Centre of Excellence for Children and Youth.”
“We believe we are going to be able to support a better life and better outcomes for kids throughout the area,” Eby said.
He said the facility will offer a wide range of supports, including “mental health and addictions services, neurocognitive assessments and other wellness programs for children and youth.”
According to Eby, over $675,000 will be committed to the Lheidli T’enneh to lead community consultation on the project starting in the spring.
“Today is a good day for all who live in the region,” Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan said at the announcement. “We brought this vision to Premier Eby not too long ago… they listened, and now they are acting.”
Logan said the Centre will serve 69% of BC’s land mass and 60% of the Indigenous population in the province.
She said many kids in the region who need the supports that will be offered locally soon currently need to travel across the province to get it – often times after waiting well over a year.
“The barriers to service for children and youth transcend ethnicity,” Logan continued. “Wait times to access critical services in the north… are way too long, this is where we are losing them. This is where kids are falling through the cracks.”
Neither Logan or Eby had an exact timeline for when the facility could first start serving the region – Logan said she hopes to have a clearer timeline in the summer once consultations are complete.
The exact location is also not yet determined, that will be part of the consultations.
Eby suggested revamping the old Youth Custody Centre could be an option that is explored.
The money for the project comes from the province’s $171.1-million budgeted in 2023 for health initiatives led by Indigenous Groups.
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