On the afternoon of May 30th, the Four Counties Addiction Services Team (Fourcast) invited media and guests of note to an open house at their newly renovated Paddock Wood residential treatment facility. 

The Paddock Wood residence will add 12 beds to Peterborough’s addictions response system, and is one of the first publicly funded bed-based addictions treatment services in the area. 

The facility will host six detox beds and six residential treatment beds, as well as provide on-site services like counselling and developing treatment and discharge plans. Paddock Wood will also host a 35-day treatment program for its residential beds, complementing Fourcast’s existing slate of programming.

Fourcast needs a complement of approximately 25 employees to open Paddock Wood, however, as it shutters its recruitment phase and begins to hire staff for the facility after two years of development. 

At the event, Fourcast Executive Director Donna Rogers expressed gratitude to attendees and congratulated Fourcast staff on their achievement.

“We pride ourselves on being strong community partners who contribute our resources and talents to respond to the needs of those individuals who are seeking support to make changes in their substance use,” Rogers told attendees.

“The addition of the residential addiction services to the Fourcast complement of services enhances the scope of treatment available in our community, which now ranges from harm reductions through to bed-based services.” 

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith is a “tenacious” supporter of the new facility, especially so with his “essential” leadership in securing funding for Paddock Wood’s development.

He congratulated the Fourcast and Canadian Mental Health Association - Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA-HKPR) staffand lauded them for their resilience. 

“They bought into the vision and they simply would not accept ‘no’ from anyone,” MPP Smith said. 

“As we go forward, we have a great opportunity to demonstrate that six residential and six detox beds will make a positive difference in this community, but it's not enough,” he continued. 

MPP Smith was not the only leader present, optimistic of the example Paddock Wood would set for Peterborough as a city. In his remarks, Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal marvelled at the collaboration between Fourcast, CMHA-HKPR, the Government of Ontario, the County and City of Peterborough, and the Auburn Homestead. 

“Individuals who are addicted to drugs and their families need our support. They deserve compassion and kindness, and they deserve treatment options to help them to get them on a path of rehabilitation and new trajectory in life,” Leal told attendees. 

“That is why this facility and the residential treatment programs it offers is so important.” 

After their remarks, participants were given a tour of the treatment facility. The renovation of Paddock Wood incorporates the heritage aspects of the building, with its spacious bedrooms and withdrawal management beds full of stained glass windows and interior wall facades. 

The designation of Paddock Wood, also known as Auburn House, preserves the former homestead of Sir Thomas A. Stewart, one of Peterborough’s earliest Irish settlers.

In their renovation of the house, contractor Mortlock Construction preserved its key heritage attributes and incorporated them into the residential treatment setting. Its seperate floorplan accommodates two distinct approaches to addictions treatment and harm reduction, while maintaining architectural and geographical connection to the community it supports. 

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The top floor of Paddock Wood is dedicated to the 35-day residential treatment program, while the ground floor is devoted to on-site supervised withdrawal management. This combination fortifies existing social services in the area, allowing treatment plans to become a localized option for those seeking recovery.

The renovated Auburn House represents over two years of development and collaboration from several key stakeholders in Peterborough-Kawartha. Speaking on behalf of the County of Peterborough, County Councillor Ron Black felt that the challenges that addiction poses “touch every corner of the county” and impacts the individuals, families, businesses and communities within it.

“This is more than just a building, it's a beacon of hope for individuals and families who have been battling this, often in silence and pain, and often without the support that is so desperately needed. 

“Today we take a meaningful step forward, not just as a municipality, but for everyone.”

(Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to reflect the accurate number of employees Fourcast needs to hire. Fourcast needs a staff complement of 25 employees for the Paddock Wood facility, while 150 was the number of applications Fourcast received during their recruitment campaign for Paddock Wood.)