Cranbrook City Council has approved a letter to the provincial government calling for a youth residential detox and treatment centre to be established in the community.
Councillor Wayne Stetski brought the movement forward after the overdose death of a young girl in Cranbrook last month.
He said residents don’t have enough resources nearby.
“While there are supports in place locally to help with counselling youths struggling with addictions and their families, the closest communities providing residential recovery centers are in Kamloops and Kelowna,” Stetski said.
“This adds tremendous burdens on our families and our youths seeking help.”
He added the travel and other costs are too much of an added stress to put on families.
“If they need to go to a recovery centre, currently it’s a six-hour drive to Kelowna or an eight-hour drive to Kamloops,” he said.
“What they require if you are taking your child to Kamloops is that you be there with your child while they go through detox and you stay with them until a place finally opens up in the youth recovery centre.”
The letter was sent to Premier David Eby as well as Ministers Jennifer Whiteside, Adrian Dix, Grace Lore and Sheila Malcolmson.
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