Long Lake #58 offers transformational program from community members – Anishinabek News
April 9, 2025
THUNDER BAY — Long Lake #58 recently held a 10-day detox program for community members dealing with addictions at the Best Western Plus NorWester Hotel and Conference Centre in Thunder Bay.
“We brought members down from the reserve and we’re here trying to help them on their healing journey, get away from the drugs and alcohol and really start to deal with the trauma,” says Kyle Arnold, community support worker specializing in addiction at Long Lake #58. “Generally, we’re doing sharing and healing circles, we have a facilitator here, Ed (Yerxa), and he’s facilitating it, going through their trauma, just kind of going through the first steps and really trying to help them work through what they’ve been in in their life. A lot of it is life skills, we do have some presenters coming in that are going to be talking about what they went through in recovery, as well as we have a sacred fire, sweats and using traditional medicines.”
Arnold says they did a pre-detox program for two weeks in Long Lake #58 where the clients participated in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, drum socials, and different activities to prepare them before they attended the 10-day detox program.
