An Aurora family reunification centre is preparing to open in Estevan to support individuals who have completed addiction recovery and are preparing to reunite with their children and return to everyday life.
“It’s not a recovery centre in Estevan, it’s family reunification. The recovery centre is in Gimli,” said Aurora CEO Michael Bruneau. “That’s where we have our medical detox, or primary recovery.”
Once individuals are stabilized, they are moved to another community to focus on life skills.
Bruneau, who works in the hotel industry, said he purchased both the Motel 6 and the Quality Inn and Suites in Estevan.
Aurora will rent rooms in the buildings to house families participating in the reunification program, while other rooms will be available to rent to the public, with priority given to alumni and staff.
Although the Estevan facility is not a treatment centre, residents staying there are expected to follow a structured routine and work with counsellors and caregivers.
“We bring their children with them, and they get help,” Bruneau said. “They learn how to shop and how to cook and how to live again. That’s what it’s all about.”
Clients at the Estevan location will have already completed medical detox, a process that can take three to 12 months depending on their needs. Many are referred from the Gimli centre to facilities like Estevan, where the focus shifts to family reintegration.
“It’s wonderful for people to get help with their addiction,” Bruneau said. “But they also have to have a purpose after they’re ready to go.”
To help provide that purpose, Aurora has rented a shop in the city where carpentry and other trades will be taught. Bruneau said the program is open to alumni, with the goal of creating employment opportunities.
Aurora also offers extended aftercare. Clients can receive training to become health aides or cooks, and a greenhouse project near Gimli is already underway, with Bruneau saying he hopes that would expand to Estevan one day.
“This will teach the alumni how to plant and care for vegetables, and hopefully they can use those skills,” he said.
Another example is Aurora’s construction crews, who are made up entirely of alumni from the recovery program.
“Instead of returning to previous jobs and old habits, they’re placed in supportive environments,” Bruneau said.
He added that most graduates eventually return home, but some may choose to stay in Estevan.
“This will act more like a village,” he said. “Families support one another, and the children can play together.”
A similar model is already in place in Brandon, Manitoba, where some participants have chosen to stay after completing the program.
“They have a lot of healing to do,” Bruneau said. “It’s now about how do they live with their children, how to go out and spend $100 and make 10 meals instead of spending that on one meal.”
He said he defines success as, “Get their families back, learn to live with their families again, and then get a job, rent an apartment, support themselves and have a happy life.”
Aftercare is available once participants leave the program, including outpatient support for as long as needed.
Aurora’s approach focuses heavily on therapy and trauma recovery. A doctor with experience in this area has been hired, and the organization will hire other care staff, including nurses and counsellors.
Staff have been hired locally and from Regina, and Bruneau said the team will continue to grow ahead of the formal opening.
Some residents have raised concerns about the lack of clarity surrounding the project after a zoning change application submitted earlier this year to designate the facility as medical was officially withdrawn at the request of the applicant. As a result, no change in use was approved for the property.
City officials confirmed the buildings remain classified as commercial under the C3 (arterial commercial) zoning designation, with the approved use limited to commercial accommodation.
At this time, as the buildings are still operating as hotels with short-term tenants, no rezoning is required. If the scope of the facility changes in the future, the zoning would need to be reassessed.
Bruneau will officially take possession of the hotels on June 1. He said an open house is planned, but no date has been confirmed.