New women's addiction recovery residence in west-central Sask. focused on reuniting families
CBC
A new addiction recovery residence in west-central Saskatchewan is aiming to reunite mothers with their children.
Starlight House is a women-only home located near the Prairie Sky Recovery Centre (PSR) main residence in Leipzig, Sask., located roughly 150 kilometres west of Saskatoon.
Jacqueline Hoffman, CEO of the centre, said the new building means PSR will house all of its male clients in the main residence, while women will have their own space.
Hoffman said staff at Starlight House will conduct workshops on resumé building, meal planning and household budgeting. It will also allow moms' visits with their kids while they're in treatment to go for whole weekends, rather than a few hours.
"We wanted to create an environment for [mothers] so they're safe and secure, and they were able to work through some of the programs we've provided for them as well as reconnect with their children," she said on CBC's The Morning Edition Wednesday.
"Addiction is a family issue — and it can also be a family recovery."
Starlight Cardinal, a transitional client at PSR, is the namesake for this new residence.
She came to the centre 11 years ago after leaving a serious domestic violence situation and having her children apprehended in Alberta.
Cardinal said the more intensive program helped her work through her intergenerational trauma and grief through counselling, which ultimately helped her begin her healing journey.
"I was just able to open up here and find out who I really am," she said.
Hoffman said Cardinal's awakening was part of the reason why the house was named after her.
Hoffman said they were able to learn from Cardinal's relapses and evaluate the need for certain supports, such as programs dealing with domestic violence and parenting in recovery.
"Every time Starlight came to us, she learned from us, but we also learned from her," Hoffman said.
"If we would have been able to provide this to Starlight initially, maybe she wouldn't have had those relapses and maybe we could have set her on a better path. That's why we developed the Starlight House."
It was just a few months ago that U.S. President Donald Trump told the world he doesn’t want Canadian cars.
Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.
More than 30 years after Canada's military allowed women to serve in combat roles, it's now specifically designing uniforms and body armour to fit their bodies.
The holiday season has arrived in Thunder Bay, and that means reduced hours, or closures, for businesses, city offices, and other amenities.
As Toronto’s food scene continues to grow, some in the industry say the pool of professional chefs hasn’t kept up with demand.
Police have charged a truck driver from the Hamilton area in a hit-and-run crash that killed a tow truck operator who had been stopped while helping a driver on the side of Highway 401 outside Woodstock, Ont.
Power has been restored to most of Haines Junction after a problem earlier on Monday at the local generating station.
A 56-year-old man will return to court on Tuesday for a charge of second-degree murder, laid in a case London police have called an act of femicide.
The chairman of the committee leading Newfoundland and Labrador's independent review of the Churchill Falls memorandum of understanding with Quebec is backing the impartiality of his three-man team.
The province has taken a major step toward restarting its onshore natural gas industry.
Allan Legere, serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Alberta, has been denied a request for full parole.
Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club has asked a judge to decide whether the City of Winnipeg can ignore a provincial decision about residential housing slated to rise next to the club.
A Saskatoon woman says she watched her neighbour's police standoff play out in real time on social media.