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FORT McMURRAY — The Chard Métis Nation is seeking proposals to help design a year-round, land-based recovery program aimed at supporting Indigenous people in northern Alberta struggling with addiction and recovery challenges.
The organization issued a formal request for proposals this week seeking a qualified partner to develop curriculum and operational programming for its planned “Bridge to Recovery” initiative in Janvier, Alta.
According to the proposal document, the program will operate as a live-in, land-based recovery camp offering five separate 48-day recovery intakes annually, serving approximately 50 participants each year.
The Chard Métis Nation says the initiative is being funded through Health Canada’s Emergency Treatment Fund and is intended to address gaps between clinical addiction treatment and long-term reintegration into community life.
The program will focus on land-based healing, cultural revitalization, peer-led recovery and trauma-informed care.
“Culture is the treatment” is identified in the proposal as a foundational principle guiding the recovery model.
The proposed camp would operate as a non-clinical recovery environment, with on-site supports limited to non-insured services while clinical care would continue to be referred externally.
The request for proposals calls for a fully operational and implementation-ready framework, including cultural programming, recovery education, peer mentorship systems, safety planning and daily program structures adapted to seasonal northern conditions.
The Chard Métis Nation says Elder-led governance and cultural teachings rooted in Métis and Dene traditions will form part of the program design.
The organization says the recovery environment must also account for overdose risks, participant relapse, remote access challenges and emergency response planning associated with operating a residential recovery facility in a northern setting.
The successful proponent will have approximately three months to complete the design work, with draft materials expected within four weeks of the contract award.
The anticipated budget for the design phase ranges between $75,000 and $125,000.
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