If your morning commute takes you through the tunnel under the Lift Lock in Peterborough’s East City, you may need to take another route on Monday morning (June 1).

Parks Canada will be closing the single-lane tunnel, which connects Hunter Street East with Ashburnham Drive, from 9:30 a.m. until noon on Monday.

The closure is needed to allow for work on the embankment, immediately east of the tunnel, as part of Parks Canada’s multi-year infrastructure project along the Trent-Severn Waterway.

The project includes rehabilitation of earth dams along the canal, sealing of leaks in the Lift Lock, and the complete replacement of the Maria Street Swing Bridge. The entire project is expected to take up to four years to complete, with the bridge replacement scheduled to begin in the fall.

During the temporary tunnel closure, a signed detour route will be in place and traffic control personnel will be on-site to assist with the movement of emergency services vehicles, transit buses, and heavy trucks.

Parks Canada says drivers should expect delays and are encouraged to plan their travel accordingly. Nearby alternate routes across the canal include Maria Street to the south and the McFarlane Street bridge to the north.

This year’s Walk a Mile in Their Shoes event has raised $38,341.71 for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.

Held last Friday (May 22) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the annual fundraiser saw members of the community come together in downtown Peterborough to support women, children, and gender-diverse individuals escaping the effects of gender-based violence.

After hearing remarks from local dignitaries including Peterborough MP Emma Harrison, Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, Peterborough police chief Stuart Betts, and YWCA Peterborough Haliburton executive director Kim Dolan, participants marched from Confederation Square through the downtown and back, while sporting everything from red sneakers to high heels as footwear to wearing inflatable shark costumes.

While members of the community and local businesses cheered from the sidelines, walkers chanted for an end to violence and served as a visible reminder of solidarity for survivors of domestic abuse. After returning to Confederation Square, participants enjoyed pizza from Domino’s Pizza and ice cream from Kawartha Dairy.

“While intimate partner violence continues to be an epidemic in our community and a serious issue we must continue discussing if we want to see real change, we also recognize that it is important to celebrate the brave survivors who have escaped and are on their healing journey,” said YWCA Peterborough Haliburton director of philanthropy Tina Thornton in a media release.

“The amount of confidence and reliance it takes to leave an abusive situation is huge and so, while Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is about educating the public on the stark realities of gender-based violence, it is also meant to be a fun day where those who have been impacted by gender-based violence can see that there is kindness, support, and joy to be had as they embark on their own healing journeys.”

Funds raised from this year’s event will support YWCA Peterborough Haliburton’s programs and services, part of a wrap-around care model known as HER Journey of Care that not only includes access to safe shelter, but supportive counselling, court support, and other services intended to help survivors of gender-based violence begin a new life.

“When a woman walks through our doors, we know that it takes so much more than just having access to a safe place to stay to help her find a future free from violence,” Thornton said.

“This is why HER Journey of Care works to provide clients with an organic and individualized process that can help a woman in need escape her dangerous situation, but also recover emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We work hard to walk alongside our clients in whatever capacity they need so that they can go from that place of fear and control to safety, healing, and independence.”

On behalf of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, Thornton thanked the community for continuing to support the non-profit organization’s work and everyone who helped make this year’s event a success.

“When you donate to YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, not only are you helping someone in need get out of a dangerous situation, you’re helping them access all of the resources needed to take those important next steps,” she said. “We strongly believe that it takes full community support to help those escaping gender-based violence, and this event just proves the power of that collective action.”

For more information about YWCA Peterborough Haliburton and to donate, visit ywcapeterborough.org.

Peterborough resident Marcus Harvey is almost $69,000 richer thanks to the Peterborough Humane Society’s 50/50 lottery, which raised a record-breaking total of $137,510.

As the lucky winner of the lottery’s fifth edition, which ran from April 9 to May 15, Harvey took home half of the total — $68,755 to be exact.

The other half of the funds raised will support animals in need at Peterborough Humane Society, which does not receive government or institutional funding for its operations. Proceeds from the lottery will help cover the cost of food, medical treatment, and safe shelter while animals wait for their forever homes.

The lottery also featured the Marlin Travel & Collette Ruffle, offering a $5,000 travel voucher redeemable through Marlin Travel Peterborough toward any Collette package, with M. Fowler of Norwood the winner.

Since it launched in spring 2024, the Peterborough Humane Society 50/50 lottery has given away $166,000 in cash prizes and $20,000 in travel vouchers from Marlin Travel Peterborough. With tickets purchased from people across Ontario, this spring’s lottery more than doubled the previous record of $57,575 set last fall.

“We are absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of this community,” said Peterborough Humane Society CEO Shawn Morey in a media release.

“When we launched the PHS 50/50 Lottery in 2024, we hoped it would grow into something meaningful,” Morey added. “What this community has done this spring is beyond anything we could have imagined. To go from a record of $57,575 to a jackpot of $137,510 in a single season is extraordinary, and it speaks to how much the people of this region care about the animals in our care.”

Along with everyone who bought a ticket and helped promote the lottery, Morey thanked Marlin Travel, Collette, and Miskin Law for supporting the lottery, with the spring edition marking the first season with Miskin Law as the official sponsor of two early bird prizes of $1,500 and $2,000. According to the Peterborough Humane Society, the addition of the early bird prizes “generated significant excitement and helped drive record-breaking ticket sales throughout the campaign.”

Each year, around 1,500 animals come through the doors of the Peterborough Humane Society, located at 1999 Technology Drive, to receive veterinary care, vaccinations, microchipping, and spay-and-neuter services prior to adoption.

Peterborough city council has voted to defer consideration of a winter shelter response plan until August, while unanimously voting in favour of a new initiative to keep Peterborough streets clean, traffic changes to Armour Road, and a pilot program to help seniors clean snow from the end of their driveways.

At its general committee meeting on Monday night (May 25), councillors considered a report from community services commissioner Sheldon Laidman recommending options for a planned seasonal winter shelter model for people experiencing homelessness in winter 2026-27, instead of the temporary temperature-based shelter response used this past winter.

The report presents two options for a planned overnight shelter model, both of which would provide at least 30 additional beds nightly using the former fire station on Carnegie Avenue, where the city operated an emergency temperature-based shelter response for up to 40 people per night over 10 days during the winter of 2025-26.

The first option would operate for three months from January through March and would cost about $303,000 annually, plus $20,000 in startup costs, while the second option would run for six months from November through April at an annual operating cost of about $576,600, plus $20,000 in startup costs.

Mayor suggests deferring the report until 2027 budget deliberations

Mayor Jeff Leal said he would be moving a deferral of the report, but first asked legislative services commissioner David Potts to comment on a recent decision by Ontario Superior Court Justice Michael R. Gibson preventing the Region of Waterloo from removing residents living at an encampment in downtown Kitchener and the impact it will have.

In his response, Potts spoke about how some legal decisions do not favour municipal jurisdictions when councils are attempting to balance competing interests, “including protecting open spaces, parks, and other spaces for public use.” He referred to past council decisions to proceed with enforcement through the removal of encampments when the municipality was able to meet the minimum standard for the number of available shelter beds.

The mayor then said the report should be deferred until 2027 budget deliberations as the city is still waiting for its allocation of almost $2 million from the provincial government’s Homelessness Prevention Program, which supports the 50 modular homes and support services on Wolfe Street.

“It is pretty difficult to deliberate on two options that would add another just shy under a million dollars to the budget in 2027,” Leal said, apparently adding the costs of the two mutually exclusive options together.

“Hopefully by the time the next council comes into place (and) they start their deliberation, we’d have clear direction from the province on our allocation for the Homeless (sic) Prevention Program.”

Councillor Dave Haacke spoke in support of the deferral, stating that his research shows that Peterborough provides 40 per cent more shelter per capita than Durham Region.

“I think that’s unfair,” Haacke said, referring to a lack of provincial funding. “I believe we are paying way too much towards that service for the number — sorry, not paying too much, the numbers are out of whack … We could pump 10 more million dollars into this program and be in the same boat.”

Councillors clash over urgency of making a decision

Councillor Keith Riel spoke against the deferral, referring to it as “groundhog day.”

“Last year, staff brought a report on a winter response. This is no different than the report that’s here in front of us, trying to get ahead of the curve. So what happened last year? This council voted not for a winter response. We lost two individuals to inclement weather last year. And here we were, when all of a sudden the weather dips to 30 and 40 below, we’re scrambling, trying to get a shelter up and running with social services staff.”

“You talk about $1 million to save some lives. This council, just a month ago, had no problem earmarking for the next council $57 million (for a multi-sport and event centre) — no problem at all. But for a million dollars to try and save some individuals around in the inclement weather, here we are tonight, saying oh, maybe we’ve spent too much money?”

In her remarks, councillor Joy Lachica thanked Laidman and city staff for the detail in the report, and spoke in support of the second option as it would accommodate unpredictable weather and would appeal to service providers for staffing purposes.

“A deferral is shocking to me,” she said. “Why would we put ourselves in a position where we are scrambling, as the previous speaker has said? I don’t think it’s responsible. I don’t think that we’re considering the human factor. I think we need to be prepared, and we don’t want to waste any more time.”

Councillor Matt Crowley said he would not support the deferral, noting “a little bit of conflation” between the staff report and earlier comments by Mayor Leal and Potts. He said he was unclear how provincial funding under the Homelessness Prevention Program or enforcement of the city’s parks by-law relates directly to the report.

“This report is specifically discussing a winter shelter emergency response plan, and I think it is incumbent that we make a decision on it,” he said, asking Laidman what some of the difficulties would be if the report was deferred to the next council. “Would we even be able to enact an emergency shelter response at the blink of an eye, if this weren’t to come back until November?”

Calling it a “key question,” Laidman said the rationale for bringing the report to council now was to provide “enough lead time to provide such a service in time for the winter.” He also added that, because the 2027 budget will be the first budget for a new term of council, budget deliberations will likely not take place until January or February.

“I think realistically the new council would be looking at the 2027(-2028) winter season for such a shelter to be put into place if that was their desire,” he said.

Concerns raised about cost and Carnegie Avenue location

After commenting that there is “some misinformation that’s getting out there that we aren’t doing anything and (are) voted against things,” councillor Lesley Parnell said council last year tried to find another operator instead of One City Peterborough “but we still ended up funding them at $2 million more,” stating “that was supposed to be our winter response.”

She also listed a number of other examples of city funding during the current council term for transitional and supportive housing.

“Our budget for homeless … has gone from $458,000 a year in 2022 — municipal money — to $4.256 million a year, and that’s municipal taxpayer dollars, so we have significantly increased the budget on this and yet we just seem to have as many people homeless even though we have housed that many more people … it’s absolutely not fair to say we haven’t done anything.”

For his part, councillor Gary Baldwin said he was “torn on this one.”

“You can recall last year we, council, asked staff to go out and do an RFP for another operator,” Baldwin said.

He was referring to a June 2025 council decision against providing additional homelessness funding for One City Peterborough to expand its daytime and overnight drop-in programs at Trinity Centre in 2026, and to issue a request for proposals to see if another organization could operate a program in another location. Less than five months later, council voted to award a $1.12 million contract to One City so the non-profit organization could operate a low-barrier shelter.

“I said at the time there won’t be any other operators, and it’s going to cost us twice as much money. That’s exactly what happened. It went from a little less than $1 million to over $2 million dollars. My colleague is correct. We’re talking about human lives here. We’re looking at a plan to prepare for the inevitable. We’re going to have some inclement weather. So, you know, my head is saying it’s money but my heart is saying we have to look after all of the people we represent.”

After confirming with Laidman that the former fire station on Carnegie Avenue is where the winter shelter would be located, Baldwin raised concerns that the location was a long distance away from downtown, where unsheltered people receive services, and results in transportation costs.

He asked Laidman whether there were any other sites in the downtown where the shelter could be located, such as the library. Laidman said using the former fire station does not disrupt other city services or programming, and there are few buildings that the city owns that would be suitable for a shelter.

Councillor Riel commented that, if there was another potential service provider or shelter location, they would have responded to the city’s earlier RFP. He noted that the number of homeless people is increasing and that, if the city is going to be removing people from encampments, shelter beds need to be available for them.

Councillor Baldwin reiterated that the city should look at alternative options in the downtown area instead of the fire hall location.

In his remarks, councillor Kevin Duguay noted there were people in the gallery from the Carnegie Avenue area who are objecting to using the former fire station for an emergency shelter.

“I’m wondering, to the note of the deferral, if we were to establish a little tighter timeline where staff could report back to us and maybe there are alternatives in the central area that would eliminate the need for transportation services and other matters,” Duguay said, adding that he is “very concerned about the escalating costs.”

Duguay’s remarks were interrupted for a couple of minutes by Peterborough resident Margie Sumadh, who approached the council horseshoe while shouting at councillors as a security guard tried to convince her to sit back down.

Councillor Andrew Beamer, who is chair of general committee, repeatedly asked her to sit down and encouraged her to come to city council the following Monday to make a public delegation. The security guard eventually escorted her back to the gallery. Sumadh later told kawarthaNOW that she was irate with the way unhoused people are being treated.

“It’s very clear that this is a subject that’s important to a lot of people,” Duguay said, continuing his remarks about the costs to the city of providing homelessness programs before asking if city staff could come back to council with alternative locations.

Commissioner says it will be ‘extremely difficult’ to find another location by August

Councillor Beamer asked Laidman whether city staff could come back to council in August with recommendations for alternative locations.

“Realistically, I think that’s going to be a real challenge,” Laidman said. “I’ve been here for seven years. This is going to be probably the fourth or fifth time I’ve been asked to do this exercise by council of finding another location. It is extremely difficult.”

“We will certainly undertake it and go through that exercise but you just want to be pragmatic about it. One of the reasons to put Carnegie in front of council was it exists, it’s under the city’s control, we know that costs are, and we know how to service the site. Trying to evaluate other sites in the downtown — we will certainly do it; I just don’t want to over-commit to council that it would be successful.”

“I think honestly there would need to be some type of consultation process too, about if we’re going to put more services in the downtown,” Laidman added. “Councillors get calls every day about issues with services we have in the downtown, and I would question whether that’s something council wants to continue to advocate for.”

After councillor Beamer confirmed with Mayor Leal that he would be agreeable to having staff report back to council at a later date, the mayor suggested September.

Mayor Leal then spoke about what he called the “most concerning aspect” of the staff report, which is the increasing number of seniors with chronic illnesses who are experiencing homelessness, referring to the possibility of housing these seniors in long-term care beds that are in development.

Councillor Riel raised an issue with having staff report back to council in September, noting that August 21 is the end of the nomination period for the fall election, at which point it may be determined that council is in a “lame duck” period where it is restricted by the Municipal Act from making expenditure decisions over $50,000. Councillor Beamer then adjusted the timeline to August for staff to report back to council.

Councillor Lachica spoke again to the deferral, urging council to accept the advice of Laidman and city staff and make a decision now.

As the final speaker on the deferral, councillor Beamer — in whose ward the Carnegie fire station is located — said he could not support any recommendation to have the emergency shelter at that site, noting neighbourhood resident in the gallery who are strongly opposed to it. He said that both he and his fellow ward councillor Haacke have heard from hundreds of neighbourhood residents objecting to the location, and he has only heard from one resident in support.

Beamer said that residents are concerned that a temporary shelter will become permanent, noting that is what has happened with the Wolfe Street modular housing community and the Trinity Community Centre, both of which were supposed to be temporary. He said residents are also concerned about crime, garbage, and property values, and supported a deferral so another location could be found.

Council then voted on the deferral motion, which passed 6-4, with Mayor Leal and councillors Haacke, Beamer, Parnell, Duguay, and Baldwin voting in favour and councillors Don Vassiliadis, Lachica, Crowley, and Riel voting against. Councillor Alex Bierk was absent from the meeting.

In other matters before council, councillors voted unanimously 10-0 in favour of the “Clean Streets Peterborough” initative, a traffic operations review of Armour Road between Hunter Street and Parkhill Road, and a windrow removal subsidy pilot program.

Items endorsed by general committee will be considered by council for final approval next Monday (June 1), when registered delegations will be heard.

Council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.

The Helping Others Participate Equally (HOPE) organization and the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation (GPHSF) have announced that Clare Hutchinson of Peterborough is the 2026 recipient of the Steve Montador Bursary.

The bursary was established in honour of the late Steve Montador to support students transitioning from high school to college or university who are suffering the long-term effects of a sports-related concussion and require a reduced academic course load as result of injury.

Montador — a former Peterborough Pete, NHL defenceman, and HOPE board member and supporter — suffered concussions playing hockey that ultimately ended his career. Prior to his death in February 2015 at age 35, Montador was very vocal about his struggles and his depression, and he made a commitment to be an advocate for others.

An autopsy found Montador suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries including concussions and repeated blows to the head.

Montador’s story is the subject of the 2017 book by the late Ken Dryden titled Game Change: The Life and Death of Steve Montador, and the Future of Hockey.

After Montador’s unexpected death, his friends, fellow HOPE board members, and GPHSF established the bursary initiative, with the first recipient selected in 2018.

Hutchinson, who will be attending Georgian College in the fall to become a paramedic, was selected as the 2026 recipient of the Steve Montador Bursary in recognition of the multiple concussions she has suffered over the past three years while playing several contact sports, including wrestling, hockey, and rugby.

While the concussions effectively ended her ability to play contact sport, the graduating Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School student continues to be physically active, playing several non-contact sports. She also coaches rugby, a sport she loves. As part of the bursary application, Hutchinson’s teacher and coach Kristine McCracken notes her competitive drive, spirit, and determination.

“Through it all, she has demonstrated a strong work ethic, resiliency and leadership, both on and off the field,” McCracken states. “She is resilient and adaptable; if she couldn’t be on the field, she would support in another way … That’s Clare, a true leader that supports her team in whatever capacity she can.”

With files from Natalie Hamilton.

Over the past 20 years, 67-year-old Peterborough resident Dr. Peggy Shaughnessy has seen the landscape of mental health and addictions care change rapidly. Despite this, she has remained consistent in her approach and says she will continue on the path of healing one person and then the next.

“I will stay on the ground, in the ditches — I’ll help them out one at a time,” said Shaughnessy in a recent interview with kawarthaNOW.

Shaughnessy is the creator of the RedPath Approach, founder and director of care for the RedPath Wellness Centre, and president of Whitepath Consulting.

Building the RedPath approach through Indigenous-informed healing

Shaughnessy began developing what would become known as the RedPath approach while she was working in Kingston Penitentiary as a nurse. At the nearby Millhaven Maximum Institution in Bath, there had been 53 stabbings in 51 days.

“They sent me in there to interview guys that had been stabbed, or who had stabbed someone else,” said Shaughnessy. “What came out of that needs assessment was that these men really needed Indigenous-based programming.”

As she developed the RedPath approach, Shaughnessy worked with Indigenous Elders across Canada, as well as the Trent University psychology department — in particular, under the direction of Dr. James Parker through his Emotion and Health Research Laboratory.

In 2002, Shaughnessy established Whitepath Consulting to provide training and education to treatment providers, First Nation communities, and social service organizations to facilitate RedPath programs themselves.

VIDEO: History of the RedPath Program

“We’ve been walking this path with integrity since 2002,” said Liz Shaughnessy-Rowe, manager of programs at RedPath and Shaughnessy’s daughter. “Nothing has changed — our language has stayed the same since 2002.”

Having spent many years travelling to train others on the RedPath approach, Shaughnessy decided to bring treatment options to her hometown of Peterborough. In 2017, Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy-Rowe established the charitable organization, Right To Heal, in response to the opioid crisis.

“We were fortunate to have the Ontario government come forth with some funding in order to be able to do what we did across the country here in Peterborough,” said Shaughnessy.

In October 2022, the organization began providing mental health and addictions treatment using the RedPath approach from their headquarters in the former St. Andrew’s Church (now Celestial Church of Christ) at 441 Rubidge Street in Peterborough.

However, thanks to an introduction from a loyal supporter of Right to Heal, the organization was given the opportunity to relocate to 271 Brock Street, just steps away from their original location.

Creating a focused, community-centred space for recovery at 271 Brock Street

“We were given the opportunity to move into this space which really has a home feeling,” said Shaughnessy. “It also allowed us to downsize — the church was quite big and we were using it beyond our mandate.”

For Shaughnessy and her daughter, the move to 271 Brock Street has allowed them to refocus on the intention and core values of their mission rather than becoming “distracted” trying to provide all services to all people.

“What this space gifted us was a tunnel vision on our mission,” said Shaughnessy-Rowe. “We used to be distracted by the noise.”

Programs at RedPath are offered at no-cost to participants and allow people so self-refer to all services. The Peterborough-based Wellness Centre is the organization’s outpatient clinic, where individuals can partake in the addiction treatment or living without violence programs.

“It’s a safe place to change your life and the only reason you’re here is because you’re willing to do that,” Shaughnessy-Rowe explained.

Based on research and pilot programs, Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy-Rowe identified that many people struggling with mental health and addictions issues were disconnected from their community.

“One of the biggest things for those that are suffering or the vulnerable population is the lack of community and the lack of a space to come to,” said Shaughnessy.

“If the cause of addiction is disconnection, then the medicine for addiction is connection,” added Shaughnessy-Rowe.

Program participants are invited to spend time at 271 Brock Street and build community with others in treatment. The Wellness Centre offers activities such as drumming, beading, gardening and nature walks, and a wide variety of events hosted by participants, staff, and placement students.

“You’re not going to a place where people are drinking or on drugs,” one participant told kawarthaNOW. “You’re meeting another person and making a true connection. What more can you ask for?”

Transitional housing project aims to support long-term sobriety

For Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy-Rowe, their programs and the RedPath Wellness Centre provide a vital space where people can seek sobriety-based treatment and be held accountable by their community.

“We don’t do harm reduction here — there are enough places that do it,” said Shaughnessy. “People need to have a space if they don’t want those things.”

As participation in these programs is voluntary, Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy-Rowe explained that participants must be self-motivated and committed to remain involved. Both women are ready to “call out” those who are not following the promises they make to themselves upon entry into the program.

“Let’s just say, you get chats from Big Momma and you decide you better take a good lesson,” said another participant, referring to Shaughnessy’s nickname.

Shaughnessy-Rowe said that, while holding participants accountable is part of establishing a relationship built on honesty and trust, they recognize that making significant change takes time and repetition.

“We know he’s going to use cocaine on the first of the month — we don’t guilt him for that, he feels guilt enough,” she explained. “But we do say ‘This has happened every single month, when are you going to make a new choice?'”

One challenge that Shaughnessy and Shaughnessy-Rowe identified when working with RedPath participants is that individuals are often living in environments that are detrimental to recovery such as unsafe shared housing, living without family or friends nearby, or being unhoused.

“Nobody wants to live that way,” said Shaughnessy-Rowe. “Nobody wakes up and says ‘I’m gonna be a drug addict’ — but there’s no safe spaces for them to undo the harm.”

As such, RedPath intends to build 14 transitional housing units on the property at 271 Brock Street that would each include a bedroom, bathroom, and a small kitchenette.

In February 2026, the RedPath Wellness Centre received $150,000 in seed funding from the City of Peterborough following a motion introduced by Monaghan Ward councillor Matt Crowley to support the transitional housing project, which was approved by city council.

“We don’t want this to be a shelter,” said Shaughnessy-Rowe. “We want this to be a place where people learn how to live again — a safe place where they can close the door and learn how to exist.”

Shaughnessy said this project would cost approximately $7 million to build, including a $1 million environmental assessment to ensure that construction on the property would be safe.

The RedPath transitional housing program would operate as a sober-living residence, implementing strict rules to ensure abstinence and commitment to the RedPath program.

“It would be very strict that it has to stay a sacred space,” said Shaughnessy.

Shaughnessy-Rowe said that, from her perspective, residence in this program would be “very appealing” for those going through the courts and justice system.

Committed to the RedPath approach amid a changing mental health and addictions healthcare landscape

Despite changes both nationally and locally to the mental health and addictions healthcare landscape, such as the opening and subsequent closure of Peterborough’s Consumption and Treatment Site (CTS) and new provincial funding for Homelessness and Treatment Recovery (HART) Hubs, Shaughnessy and her daughter remain confident in the RedPath approach.

“As the systems are crumbling and we continue to be in crisis, we are still walking forward outside of that crumbling system doing what we’re here to do,” Shaughnessy-Rowe said.

For Shaughnessy, changes in government funding and priorities have a significant impact on the services being offered within the local area, often at the expense of those struggling with addiction.

“They’re being used as pawns to get more money,” she said.

It is seeing the changes in service provider values, language, and treatment options over the past 20 years while recognizing the ongoing crisis that has led to Shaughnessy’s consistent and certain methodology.

“What’s gotten crystal clear to us is that we’re not here to change the system — we’re actually here to help one person, one day at a time,” said Shaughnessy-Rowe.

For more information about RedPath Wellness Centre, visit www.redpathwellnesscentre.ca.