Construction for rehab centre on track

Aurora Recovery Centre will replace former Misty Lake Lodge this June

RECORD PHOTO BY AUSTIN GRABISH

The Aurora Recovery Centre is a dream come true for former drug addict Ian Rabb.

By Austin Grabish, The Selkirk Record

Construction on a new $8-million rehab centre in Gimli is well underway, and clients could start pouring through the doors as early as June 1^st. 

Reporters and investors got a sneak peek of the new Aurora Recovery Centre on Monday.

Aurora is in the old Misty Lake Lodge and Conference Centre and has been completely gutted, but a ton of work needs to be finished before doors can officially be opened.

But Marni Larkin, the chief operating officer for the project, said construction is on track, and crews will be working hard over the next two months to ensure clients can start coming in June.

“There are a number of people who are desperately waiting to benefit from the facility,” Larkin said.

A number of addicts who need help have already reached out to Aurora, and the building could be full at opening time, Larkin said.

The new Centre will house a medical detox clinic, and will serve as many as 68 clients on any given day.

Alcoholics, drug addicts, and gamblers will all walk through the doors at Aurora.

Canadians will be given preference, but clients will also come from the United States.

Clients will live at the Centre for varied amounts of time, but will be in programming put on by Aurora for up to two years.

“There’s no really such thing as a 28-day program anymore,” said Ian Rabb, the founder and co-owner of Aurora.

Rabb said research shows when addicts have a connection with someone for two years their chances of staying clean and sober are stronger.

The Recovery Centre is a dream come true for Rabb, who is a former drug addict.

“I’m really excited,” Rabb said.

Rabb lost everything after becoming addicted to meth and other drugs in the ‘90s.

He turned his life around and has been clean for nearly 14 years, but knows the cost of an addiction.  

Financially, he lost of hundreds of thousands of dollars due to his drug use.

Personally, he lost friends, and his career as an optometrist.

“It ended up being costly,” Rabb said.

Also costly will be the price of a stay at Aurora, which is a for-profit venture.

Addicts will have to pay a whopping $900 for every day they stay at the centre.

Plans for a scholarship fund are in the works, and a dedicated complimentary spot for local residents will also be in place, but awards will ultimately depend on donations, Larkin said.

All patients who come to the Centre will have to go through a mandatory detox clinic, and before being allowed into a room they will be required to complete a urine test to prove they are clean.

“A lot of people come and lie about what they took,” Larkin said.

Strict rules will be in place at Aurora, and men and women won’t be allowed to fraternize. 

 “We’re very serious about that,” Larkin said.

Once inside the Centre, addicts will have no access to the outside world.

Security will search everyone who comes in the facility, and cell phones and other personal belongings will be confiscated at check-in.

Clients will be allowed to leave the property once they are well, and if a patient wants to withdrawal from the program completely they can, Larkin said.

She noted it usually takes two or three tries at rehab before an addict becomes completely clean.

 -- First published in the Selkirk Record print edition April 9 2015 p.18