NEW TREATMENT CENTRE OPENS AT SAGKEENG

Officials Hope To Heal Scandal's Wounds

SAGKEENG FIRST NATION -- A prayer, pipe-smoking ceremony and native
drummers opened a drug and alcohol and treatment centre here yesterday to
help aboriginals with addictions and, it's hoped, heal a community whose
reputation was tarnished by a multimillion-dollar spending scandal

Located just northwest of Pine Falls, Sagkeeng found itself in the national
spotlight four years ago when it was discovered that, according to police,
millions of dollars in federal money was being used to buy condos,
expensive cars and exotic trips, including a Caribbean cruise for 70 staff
at the Virginia Fontaine Addictions Foundation.

The doors of VFAF were ultimately shut and its funding cut off.

Since then, the community has been held up as a poster child for greed and
mismanagement, with some using it to buttress arguments against aboriginal
self-government.

"It's been a real black eye," said former Sagkeeng chief Gary Swampy.

On a personal level, he recalls at minor hockey games in Winnipeg when a
call would go in favour of Sagkeeng, opposing fans would jeer that the
referee was getting a trip to the Caribbean. "If you went to the mall, and
were wearing a Sagkeeng jacket, people would ask you if you got a cruise,
too," says Swampy. "My daughter didn't even want to tell anyone she was
from Sagkeeng."

Some of the key players charged in the alleged scheme were senior officials
with Health Canada, including Paul Cochrane, the former assistant deputy
minister for the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch.

His replacement, Ian Potter, travelled from Ottawa to take part in
yesterday's opening ceremonies.

Health Canada has been relatively mum on the scandal, noting that the
charges have yet to be dealt with by the courts.

However Potter acknowledged that his department, too, was tainted by the
revelations.

"Those were dark days," said Potter, adding that most civil servants are
dedicated to improving the lives of aboriginals. He praised the efforts of
staff at the new centre which actually began accepting patients in August.

"This was done in the face of often difficult publicity," Potter said.

Many of those said that yesterday marked the beginning of a new journey.

"It's important we show people we can do this," Swampy said.

Called Sagkeeng Mino Pimatizwan Family Treatment Centre, which means
"living a good life" in Ojibwa, the 10-bed centre will be housed in the
same building VFAF occupied. However, its budget will be significantly
smaller, only a million dollars annually, and there will be spending
restrictions.

The facility has undergone $700,000 in renovations to add spacious suites
which come with a microwave, fridge and living room area for families .
There's a daycare and small classroom for children, a large recreation room
with big screen TV, and another large session room where the counselling
takes place. Meals are taken in a common room.

Austin Bear, chief of Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan, is the
chairman of the board. Eventually the centre will be run locally but that
may not be for another year.

Bear said there's a real need for counselling, noting that drug use among
youth is growing.

Chris Henderson, Grand Chief of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, told
those gathered that he too once had a problem with alcohol and encouraged
staff in their work. He told them that this New Year's will mark his third
year being sober.