Enoch Cree Nation opens maskêkosihk Recovery Community

Alberta has completed construction of the 75-bed Enoch maskêkosihk Recovery Community on Enoch Cree Nation, supported by a $35-million provincial capital investment, with first clients expected to begin treatment in December, the Government of Alberta said in a news release on Monday.

The facility is owned and managed by Enoch Cree Nation and will serve Indigenous people and others in the Edmonton region, providing holistic addiction treatment for up to 300 people each year. It is the third of five Indigenous-led recovery communities built in Alberta.

"We know there is no single path to recovery, but we know there is tremendous strength within our people, our culture and our spirit," Chief Cody Thomas said in the Alberta government release. "Recovery is not only about healing the body. It is about healing the spirit, restoring connections to culture and family, and helping our people find hope and purpose again. The maskêkosihk Recovery Community is an investment in our people, our families and generations yet to come. Everyone who walks through these doors deserves to know they are valued, they belong, and they are not alone."

Enoch Cree Nation issued its own release on Monday through Newswire.ca, saying a cultural opening will take place later this fall before a phased scale-up of operations over the winter months. The Nation said it worked in collaboration with Recovery Alberta on clinical programming and operational readiness while maintaining community leadership over services.

"Today is about more than opening the doors to a new building," Thomas said in the Enoch Cree Nation release. "It is about opening a door to hope, healing and another path forward for our people. For too long, Indigenous families and communities have carried the impacts of intergenerational trauma and addiction. This Recovery Community reflects our belief that healing must include culture, identity, connection and belonging."

Glori Sharphead, opaminikew for the mâmawi-wîcihitowin direction at Enoch Cree Nation, said the approach brings together ceremony, culture and clinical care. "Healing is about the whole person: mind, body and spirit," Sharphead said in the Nation's release. "Bringing culture, ceremony and clinical care together creates a place where our people can reconnect with who they are and move forward with hope."

Services will be delivered by maskêkosihk Recovery Community Ltd. and will be rooted in the Nation's culture, ceremony, identity, family and community connections, according to the Alberta government release. The facility's vision is grounded in nehiyaw pimâtisiwin, a way of life grounded in balance, connection and wellness, Enoch Cree Nation said.

Clients may stay for up to one year at no cost, receiving evidence-based addiction treatment, counselling, employment training and other supports for long-term recovery.

Rick Wilson, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, said the partnership reflects the province's commitment to expanding treatment access. "Recovery is possible, and every new recovery community means more people can access the support they need to reclaim their lives from addiction," Wilson said in the release. "We are proud to partner with Enoch Cree Nation to help more individuals heal, strengthen families and build healthier communities."

Premier Danielle Smith wrote on X on Monday that Alberta is leading the country in building recovery-oriented systems of care.

https://twitter.com/ABDanielleSmith/status/2114839082643976236

Alberta has committed about $180 million in capital funding to build five recovery communities in partnership with Indigenous communities. Budget 2026 allocates almost $30 million in operating funding. Once all five are open, they will add more than 375 beds to the provincial addiction treatment system and serve up to 1,500 people annually, the Alberta government release said.

Six recovery communities are already open across the province, in Red Deer, Lethbridge, Gunn, Calgary, Blood Tribe and Siksika Nation, according to the province's recovery communities webpage. Alberta is building 11 recovery communities in total.

Information on participant intake, referrals and access to services at the maskêkosihk Recovery Community will be provided as operations scale up, Enoch Cree Nation said.