Quebec addiction centres at risk of shutting down over government payment delays

Residential addiction centres in Quebec say they feel left behind by the province. They say the provincial government is late depositing their grants by more than two weeks — for the second time this year — leaving them uncertain about their future.

Toxico-Stop is one of those residential addiction centres and says it had to suspend services at one of its two locations. That means there are 17 fewer beds for those who need them, and five employees were laid off.

The residential treatment centre helps people struggling with substance abuse get back on their feet. General manager Joe Marsillo says that the province slashed Toxico-Stop's funding by about 25 per cent back in April, and now its quarterly funding payment is again late.

"No advance notice, you know, and for an organization like us, it's the same as telling your employee your paycheck's going to be late," says Marsillo.

At least 65 organizations like Toxico-Stop are waiting for funds to come in. A group representing community organizations specializing in addiction says nearly half its centres have closed — and worries that's just the beginning.

"The funding that we have doesn't allow us to survive in the long term. We are not able, for example, to properly renovate our centres and, most importantly, we're not able to offer [fair] salaries to our employees," says Danica Bourque of the Coalition des organismes communautaires en dependance.

She says there's been a lack of communication from the health ministry, which hasn't consulted or warned them of funding cuts or delays in advance. According to Bourque, the ministry only told the organizations that the delays were due to the changeover to the province's new health-care management organization, Sante Quebec.

In the meantime, Bourque says the situation is urgent because addiction issues are closely tied to homelessness and mental health.

"If centres like ours keep closing over the years, what's going to happen is that there's going to be more and more of these individuals who don't get the proper help, the proper services that they need, and homelessness is only going to increase," she says.

The health ministry says the renewal of the annual contract for the funding program caused delays, and payments should be received "shortly."

But for Toxico-Stop, the future is uncertain.

"Will we be able to continue, will we be able to start up again? We don't know," says Marsillo.

Meanwhile, those beds remain empty at a time when demand is high.