People living with substance-use challenges will benefit from the Province’s renewed commitment to the BC Addiction Recovery Association (BCARA), making recovery possible and accessible.

“We want people facing addictions to get services when they need them,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “I’m grateful for BCARA’s work to offer quality care for everyone, so people are supported when ready to begin their healing journey.”

The Province is investing $50,000 to support the BCARA as it hires staff and establishes best practices for the operation of treatment and recovery residences. The non-profit includes leaders from addiction recovery services throughout the province and aims to provide leadership, collaboration, training, education, research and advocacy for the sector, ensuring recovery-oriented and safe services are available for people in B.C.

“We are grateful for the support of this important resource for our sector, particularly when we are in the midst of a dual health crisis,” said Brenda Plant, board chair, BCARA. “Our vision is to provide leadership to our members, to ensure enhanced recovery-oriented and research-informed addiction services are readily available and to work with government in the development of sector-focused policies, standards and regulations. With this funding, we will be able to increase our capacity to deliver on our vision and ultimately support individuals in British Columbia with substance-use challenges along their recovery journey. Our board looks forward to working with our government partners and with our newly appointed executive director, Sherry Mumford, to advance these goals.”

The Province is working to improve the safety, quality and oversight of treatment and recovery services in B.C. To date, this work included the development of regulations and standards for registered supportive recovery services to strengthen consistency throughout the province. The Province works with partners such as BCARA to improve treatment and recovery services by encouraging consistent quality and standards across the board. This joint work is one more step on the journey toward building a comprehensive system of mental health and addictions care.

BCARA was formerly known as the Recovery Council of B.C. It grew from the early work of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, recognizing recovery as an integral part of the interventions for people affected by addiction. BCARA provides a voice for providers in responding to the toxic drug emergency. Year-end funding from the Province, through the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, established BCARA as a non-profit society in 2020.

Ensuring access to addictions treatment and recovery is a priority outlined in A Pathway to Hope, B.C.’s roadmap to create a comprehensive system of care that works for everyone.

Learn More:

A Pathway to Hope:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/mental-health-and-addictions-strategy/bcmentalhealthroadmap_2019web-5.pdf