WHAT'S NEW AT PORTAGE

Read about what's going on at Portage centres across Canada as part of the drug addiction rehabilitation process.

September 9, 2010
Portage rehabilitation centres making the most of summertime
To take advantage of the pleasant summer weather, Portage centres have been providing interesting and enjoyable outdoor recreational programming for the residents during the past few months.
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September 2, 2010
Portage centres welcome visitors
Organised visits to Portage centres help to create awareness about the work that is being done at Portage to assist people who are suffering from substance abuse.  Visitors are inspired and amazed by the journey that the residents have ventured on and by the impact that residential rehabilitation can have on their lives.
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August 26, 2010
Summer programs at Cassidy Lake keep residents and staff active & healthy
Socio-cultural and recreational programming at Portage Cassidy Lake provides residents opportunities to be active and to try new things.  This summer, they have been involved in rowing, Judo, archery, music, golf, and art, among other activities.
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August 18, 2010
The children of Portage’s Mother and Child Centre’s La Ribambelle present their trip to Québec City
On August 4th 2010, three young children from the Mother and Child Program’s day care centre and two case workers went to visit the staff members at Portage Lac Écho to tell them about their trip to Québec City at the end of September.  They also had a little bake sale for the staff, selling cookies that they had made the night before at the Mother and Child centre.
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August 17, 2010
A night out at the circus for Portage residents
On July 21 and 22, 2010, several groups of residents from Portage centres in Québec spent a night out at the circus. Residents from Portage Saint-Malachie and from the Portage Day Centre in Québec City were given tickets for a Cirque du Soleil performance and residents from Portage West Island Lac Écho received tickets from Montréal Complètement Cirque.
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August 11, 2010
A camping trip for the children of La Ribambelle Day Care at the Mother and Child centre
The children of Portage’s Mother and Child Day Care facility went on a two day camping trip to Oka beach in June.  Accompanied by their teachers, the six children (aged 3 to 5 years) played in the park, went swimming, went for a walk in the forest, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the camp fire.  The kids had a fantastic time but were pretty tired by the end of the day!  They quickly fell asleep in the tent at bedtime.

August 11, 2010
Pathfinder Program pilot project helps Portage Atlantic residents think about future career ideas
In 2009, Frank Hartt of NB Power contacted Portage Atlantic to propose a pilot project whereby he offered the use of his company’s “Pathfinder” Program to Cassidy Lake residents. The Pathfinder Program is a tool to help individuals explore ideas for potential career paths, asking them about their interests and skills in order to make career suggestions.
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August 9, 2010
MIRE signs a new agreement with Emploi-Québec
The MIRE Program (Movement for Integration and Retention in Employment) is a non-profit organisation that was created in April 2002 by the Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon in partnership with the Portage Program for Drug Dependencies Inc.  Their common goal: to develop an efficient and innovative approach to help adults who are living in poverty to find employment.  Since October 2008, MIRE has been fully financed by Emploi-Québec.
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August 4, 2010
Portage Saint-Malachie welcomes residents’ families to its first open house
On June 24, 2010, Portage Saint-Malachie hosted its first open house on the occasion of Saint-Jean Baptiste Day.  Residents welcomed their parents for a fun day of activities, such as the construction of an Amerindian teepee and a giant water fight.  They also enjoyed a beautiful buffet dinner on the facility’s large balcony.
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August 4, 2010
An exciting outing for the kids at the Mother and Child Centre Day Care
Six children between 3 and 5 years of age from the Mother and Child Day Care went on a special outing to the Royaume de Nulle Part (Kingdom of Nowhere) (http://www.rdnp.info/) where they set out on a journey in an enchanted forest to save a kingdom.  They faced many challenges and surmounted many obstacles to collect “magical objects”, all the while meeting princesses, fairies, merchants, key-makers, etc.  Of the six teams made up of 100 children aged 5 to 10 years that participated on the journey, the Mother and Child Day Care team came in first place!  The children gave everything they had to save the Kingdom.  Congratulations to all the participants!

August 2, 2010
Take a look at the all-new Portage BC video!
Portage Keremeos residents, graduates, staff, and BC Board Members speak about how Portage helps BC youth seek Freedom from Addiction.
Watch the video

July 29, 2010
Portage West Island celebrates its high school graduates
On June 22nd, 2010, Portage West Island held a high school graduation and awards ceremony for the nine residents who completed their secondary studies at Portage Academy this year.  Surrounded by family, friends, and members of the community, these young people were presented with their Lester B. Pearson School Board High School Leaving Certificates. 
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July 26, 2010
Constantly on the lookout for mental health issues
Most Portage residents have had a complicated background of trauma, family dysfunction, and chaos – all factors that can lead to mental health problems, says Liz Graham, a nurse and the Coordinator of Health Services at Portage Elora. Staff are therefore constantly on the lookout for signs and symptoms of concurrent disorders of addiction and mental health issues.
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July 19, 2010
Portage Keremeos staff learn about Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
A relatively new form of treatment, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is particularly effective on people who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorders, says Leslee Armstrong, a social worker at Portage Keremeos who is currently undergoing a series of training sessions at the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Centre in Portland, Oregon.  To date, she has attended an introductory conference, another on eating disorders, and will be going to one in the fall on teens and families.
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July 16, 2010
Soccer Day for Portage MICA and West Island residents
Portage residents from the Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) Program and the West Island centre met for a Soccer Day on July 16th. An annual event for the past six years, residents got a chance to learn about different Portage centres over a BBQ lunch and some friendly games of soccer and volleyball.

July 15, 2010
“Stride for Success” charity relay a great success!
On Sunday July 11th, teams from Portage Atlantic, T4G and The Girls Bra Shop came together to take part in the “Stride for Success” charity relay, benefiting Portage Atlantic’s Recovery Trail project.
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July 12, 2010
Portage Elora residents having fun working the property
Portage Elora’s beautiful 55 acre-property is therapeutic in itself, providing residents with a peaceful country setting in which to undergo their drug addiction rehabilitation therapy.
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July 5, 2010
Portage Academy in BC: Q&A with the program coordinator at Portage Keremeos
All Portage centres for youth offer mandatory on-site school programming, recognised by local school boards and adapted to the needs of the residents.  Barbra Paterson is the Principal of the Outreach School and the Okanagan-Similkameen Learning Centres and the coordinator of the Portage Academy program at Portage Keremeos.  Her enthusiasm for learning and for facilitating the academic experience for Portage residents is evident in her appreciation for the impact that Portage Academy has on the youth.  She eagerly engaged in a Question and Answer session to better explain what Portage Academy is all about.
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June 28, 2010
Major renovations at Portage Lac Écho’s adolescent house
Following a fire last August in the Lac Écho adolescent house, the residents had to move into temporary accommodations.  The boys’ and the girls’ dormitories as well as the dining room and some administrative offices were badly damaged by smoke.  Portage made the most of the situation by renovating and improving the damaged areas.  The refurbishing process was carried out throughout the winter.
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June 23, 2010
For youth and by youth, “La Rive” raises awareness about drug addiction
Since it was established in 2004, a number of graduates of the Portage adolescent program have benefited from the “La Rive” project, a social rehabilitation program through which participants develop their employability skills through the production of a multimedia play, performed in schools and youth centres in the local community.
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June 18, 2010
After much anticipation, Cassidy Lake’s new treatment centre is now officially open!
On Friday, June 18th, dignitaries, supporters, stakeholders, and volunteers gathered in the new treatment centre at Cassidy Lake for the Official Opening of the new buildings. 
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Read a resident's testimonial...

June 16, 2010
Portage recognised for Excellence in Marketing
Portage was nominated to lead a round table discussion on its new corporate branding strategy at the 2010 Marcom Professional Development Conference on June 11, 2010.  Hosted by Colterman Marketing Group and the Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing, the theme of the conference this year was “Marketing with authenticity,” focusing largely on non-profit and government-run organisations. 
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June 14, 2010
A growing reach for Portage Atlantic Community Breakfasts 
Portage Atlantic added two more events to its series of Community Breakfasts over the past few months, hosting information sessions in Charlotte County, NB and Summerside, PEI.
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June 10, 2010
T4G's Future Focus Foundation and Portage Atlantic are recruiting teams for this summer's Stride for Success charity relay 
Future Focus Foundation, the charitable organisation founded by technology company T4G Limited is raising money for Portage Atlantic’s Recovery Trail Project by seeking relay teams from New Brunswick corporations to participate in the "Stride for Success" charity relay. All money raised from Future Focus' Stride for Success will go towards the Portage Atlantic Recovery Trail Project.
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June 9, 2010
Take a look at the all-new Portage Ontario video!
Portage Elora residents, graduates, staff, and Ontario Board Members speak about how Portage helps Ontario youth seek Freedom from Addiction.
Watch the video

June 8, 2010
Giving Ontario adolescents a Fresh Start
On the evening of June 8th, 190 guests gathered for the 4th annual Fresh Start Dinner & Auction in the lush Rosedale garden of Dr. Peter and Mrs. Susan Schaal to raise awareness and funds in support of the Portage Ontario Youth Treatment Fund. The fund provides access to the Portage Ontario drug addiction rehabilitation treatment centre for adolescents. Through incredibly generous donations and the purchase of auction items, the event successfully raised over $110,000. This total far surpasses Portage Ontario’s goal of $75,000, an amount that would give ten Ontario youth the chance to change their lives at Portage this year.
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May 28, 2010
Portage’s Table du Chef event a great success!
On May 6th 2010, a dozen business men and women from the Québec City region attended the 11th edition of Portage’s Table du Chef event.  Organised in partnership with the Fairmont Château Frontenac, the event raised $8,000 for Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation centre for adolescents in Saint-Malachie. 
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May 18, 2010
The director of Portage’s Mother and Child centre delivers a presentation on drug addiction and parenting
On May 12th, Danielle Des Marais, the director of the Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation centre for mothers with their young child and for pregnant women suffering from drug addiction, gave a presentation at a conference in Montréal on dependencies.  The conference, Rond-Point 2010, was put on by the Association des centres de réadaptation en dépendance du Québec (ACRDQ).
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May 12, 2010
What to do after residential drug addiction therapy? Portage Keremeos opens residents’ eyes to the possibilities
Preparing for reintegration back into society is an important component of Portage’s drug addiction rehabilitation treatment.  The socio-cultural recreational programming available at each Portage centre provides residents with opportunities to see and try new things, giving them hope for the future as well as ideas of how they can contribute to the community.
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May 5, 2010
Third Open House at the Portage Centre for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers
For the third consecutive year, the Portage centre for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) welcomed fifty representatives from hospitals and centres who work directly with this clientele.
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Read the testimonials presented by a resident and his father

May 2, 2010
One year after the opening of BC’s first long-term residential drug addiction treatment centre, Portage Keremeos at « The Crossing » graduates celebrate Freedom from Addiction
It was a great day of celebration at Portage Keremeos at “The Crossing”, a residential drug rehabilitation centre for youth in the interior of British Columbia. In the presence of family, staff, government representatives, members of the community and their peers, young residents were recognised for completing the residential phase of their drug addiction treatment and others were honoured for having maintained a positive lifestyle for one year.
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April 30, 2010
The Portage Atlantic “Recovery Trail” Project in Partnership with the Future Focus Foundation
Portage Atlantic’s drug addiction rehabilitation treatment centre sits on 165 acres, mostly undeveloped, on the shores of Cassidy Lake.
The Recovery Trail Project involves extending and enhancing Cassidy Lake’s existing 3.8 km path, to include wheelchair accessibility and provide a safe and picturesque route for walking, running, biking and snowshoeing. The project will provide for the purchase of new recreational equipment to be used on the trail, including mountain bikes and snowshoes.
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April 27, 2010
Portage Lac Écho open house for former residents
Portage Lac Écho held an open house this past weekend for 59 former residents. Three of them spoke to the group, delivering motivational testimonials about their experiences before, during, and after their time at Portage. They all enjoyed themselves at the dinner and the evening meeting, and some new friendships were formed.  All the visitors are currently participants in Portage’s Continuum of Care program.

April 23, 2010
An unforgettable experience at Cirque du Soleil for Portage residents
On Sunday April 18, 2010 residents from Portage drug addiction rehabilitation centres in the Montréal region attended a Cirque du Soleil performance in the Old Port of Montréal.  The tickets were graciously donated by Cirque du Soleil.
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April 16, 2010
Portage lac Écho adolescents are “students for a day” at the Saint-Jérôme CÉGEP
Seven adolescent Portage lac Écho residents got a taste for what CÉGEP is like as “students for a day” at CÉGEP Saint-Jérôme earlier in April. 
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April 12, 2010
Portage residents learn about making maple syrup!
The residents of both Portage Elora in Ontario and Portage West Island in Québec made the most of the sugaring off season in Eastern Canada this year.
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April 8, 2010
Portage West Island marks International Women’s Day
On March 8, 2010, the residents of Portage West Island marked International Women’s Day with several activities.  The main event was a presentation by female scratch artist and DJ, Killa-Jewel. 
En savoir plus...

March 29, 2010
A workshop on “Hypersexual Fashion” gives the residents of Portage Lac Écho a lot to think about
On March 10th, the women residents of both the adolescent and adult programs at Portage Lac Écho participated in a workshop about hypersexual fashion led by Mariette Julien.  Mme Julien is a PhD in Communication and a professor at the École supérieure de mode de Montréal, at l’Université du Québec (UQAM).
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March 25, 2010
Portage Lac Écho adolescents get a taste for cinema
At the beginning of March, a film teacher from CEGEP Saint-Jérôme visited Portage Lac Écho to lead the adolescent residents in a seminar on cinema and film. 
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March 23, 2010
New supervised apartment for MICA graduates
On Friday, March 19, three graduates of Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) program moved into a new supervised apartment in Montréal.
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March 18, 2010
Portage Atlantic celebrates the Riverview Lions Club’s 50th anniversary
The Riverview Lions Club has been a proud supporter and partner of Portage Atlantic’s for many years, having made significant financial contributions to the drug addiction rehabilitation program at Cassidy Lake.
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March 18, 2010
Portage Ontario Fresh Start 2010
This year’s Fresh Start Dinner and Auction will take place on June 8th in a private garden in Rosedale, Toronto.  Portage Governors, Dr. Peter and Susan Schaal, have once again offered to open their home for this intimate garden party.
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March 18, 2010
Portage Elora's gym gets a facelift thanks to Ontario Trillium Foundation grant
Sports and recreation are key elements of the Portage therapeutic program, fundamental to the residents’ long-term health and recovery process.  A $15,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation last May has gone towards improving the athletic experience for Portage Ontario residents, with an upgrade to the gymnasium floor and the purchase of new sports equipment.
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March 16, 2010
Tremendous generosity from in-kind donors to Portage Keremeos
Getting the newest Portage centre fully stocked with supplies and equipment has been a considerable and ongoing task, yet Portage British Columbia has been very fortunate, receiving numerous in-kind donations from individuals as well as local business and community organisations.
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March 16, 2010
Portage Keremeos, one year later
In April 2010, Portage British Columbia is celebrating its one year anniversary operating the residential drug addiction treatment centre in Keremeos.
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March 11, 2010
Art and music incorporated into drug addiction therapy at the Mother and Child centre
For more than a year now, the children at Portage’s Mother and Child centre have been learning all about music.
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March 9, 2010
Olympic Day at Portage Elora a great success!
On Friday, February 26th, Portage Elora held its annual Olympic Day.  Residents and staff took part in a day of fun and competition, this year marking the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The activities were organised and set up by the students of the Outdoor Education class.
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March 5, 2010
Art therapy program well received at Portage’s Day Centre in Québec City
For several months now, the Day Centre in Québec City has been offering an art therapy program, lead by local painting teacher, Nicole Beaudet.  She volunteers her time to teach the classes at Portage twice a month.
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February 25, 2010
Drama Therapy at Portage West Island
The residents at Portage West Island have been enjoying a new drama therapy program, introduced last fall by Natasha Amendolara, a master’s student at Concordia University in Drama Therapy. 
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February 23, 2010
Metamorphosis Day across Canada
February 14th is the anniversary of the opening of the first Portage centre in Prévost, Québec near Lac Écho.  The Metamorphosis Day event was celebrated across the country this year.
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February 22, 2010
Metamorphosis Day – Portage’s 37th Anniversary!
February 14th marked the 37th anniversary of the opening of the first Portage centre in Prévost, near Lac Écho. To celebrate, all Portage residents in the Montréal metropolitan region – the Mother and Child centre, the Mentally-Ill Chemical Abusers’ centre and the West Island adolescent program - attended a lunch at Lac Écho on February 16th.
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February 17, 2010
Portage Ontario takes residents on dog-sledding adventures
Two groups of residents from Portage Elora recently returned from the first ever dog-sledding expeditions in partnership with Outward Bound.  The gender-specific groups of seven adolescent girls and ten adolescent boys braved rain, snow, and -30°C temperatures at different points of their five-day treks in Algonquin Park. 
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February 11, 2010
Black History Month at Portage West Island
Black History Month, observed annually at Portage West Island during the month of February, got an early start this year as the centre coordinated a clothing drive shortly after receiving news about January’s devastating earthquake in Haiti. 
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February 10, 2010
Metamorphosis Day – Portage’s 37th Anniversary on February 14th, 2010
This Sunday, February 14th will mark the 37th anniversary of the opening of the first Portage centre in Prévost, near Lac Écho.
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February 9, 2010
Portage adopts Alouettes!
On February 2, 2010, Portage West Island welcomed Montreal Alouettes Defensive End, Anwar Stewart as a representative of the Adopt an Alouette program. Danny Desriveaux and Martin Bédard visited Portage Lac Écho.
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February 2, 2010
Art for Healing Foundation visits Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers Program
On January 27th the residents and staff of Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) program were given a presentation by Peter Krausz. The artist presented his painting, entitled “No Man’s Land”, which he donated through the Art for Healing Foundation. The painting now hangs in the residents’ meeting room.
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January 27, 2010
Portage Atlantic receives $1 million in federal funding
On January 26, 2010, the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) announced significant new funding for the Portage Atlantic facility at Cassidy Lake in New Brunswick.
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January 20, 2010
Active MICA residents!
Portage’s Program for Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers (MICA) understands the benefits of physical activity on both the body and the mind. The centre is now incorporating physical exercise programming into residents’ everyday schedules.
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Portage’s Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers Program (MICA) is thrilled to announce a new agreement with the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada (Eastern division). All residents will now have access to Tai Chi classes as part of their therapy.
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