Mayor Dennis Dugas was pleased to hear the announcement of a new Foundry Centre for the District of Port Hardy.
“It’s fantastic news for our community,” said Dugas. “I know the Mount Waddington Health Network (MWHN) team put a lot of work in to make this happen and it’s pretty exciting that our youth will have this here for them.”
Thanks to the Foundry Centre, north islanders aged 12-24 will soon be able to access more mental health and substance use services, primary care, and wrap-around supports.
The Mount Waddington region had the third highest child poverty rate in the province in 2017, and it went up 2.2 per cent in 2018, making the region the second highest in the entire province for that year.
“The Foundry Centre gives us another option for the entire north Island, not just Port Hardy, but the entire Regional District of Mount Waddington, so that’s fantastic,” Dugas said, adding the Foundry Centre will be “another important piece for our area.”
Coun. Pat Corbett-Labatt, who is a member of the MWHN, noted the group advocated for this for many years and helped out with the proposal, but it was primarily Chris Parker from the North Island Crisis & Counselling Centre who led the way.
Corbett-Labatt added she feels the centre is an amazing opportunity for Port Hardy as well as the whole north Island, as local youth “will now have more mental health and support services located right here.”
“This new Foundry Centre will support the health and well-being of our young people,” stated North Island MLA Claire Trevena. “Our government is making a wide variety of services and supports more accessible so that young people have the tools they need to grow and thrive.”
According to a news release from Trevena, the Foundry Centre in Port Hardy is one of eight new facilities announced, for a total of nineteen centres across the province, and will offer increased access to integrated health and wellness services for young people. The centre will offer primary care, youth and family peer supports, walk-in counselling, mental health and substance use services, and social services all under one roof, making it easier for youth to get help when they need it.
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