New addiction and wellness centre opens in Kawartha Lakes

An addiction and mental health wellness centre has opened in Kawartha Lakes.

Hope Valley Healing: Addiction and Wellness, located on Highway 35 just north of Lindsay, is a new state-of-the art facility that offers 24/7 in-patient care for stays of 30-90 days. The facility opened on August 18 with six residential beds with up to 18 beds planned in the future.

Previously, residents seeking residential treatment for addiction would have to leave the municipality. According to Hope Valley CEO Jason Hillier, there is a defined local need for such services.

“It’s a lifeline,” he tells Kawartha Lakes Weekly.

Hillier notes that especially in smaller communities, the state of mental health and addiction is deeply concerning.

“We see the impact on every corner, in every city and in every family. The need for accessible, compassionate, and effective care has never been greater.”

He calls it “a chance to shift the narrative—from crisis management to meaningful recovery.”

In addition to specialized contractors, Hillier will lead a staff of 20, including addictions counsellors, peer support workers, master-level therapists, culinary staff, maintenance personnel, cleaners, and administrative team members. Volunteers from the community will also play an important role.

The centre will offer evidence-based practices with holistic healing to support individuals facing substance use and mental health challenges and their families. There will also be specialized programs for first responders, sports betting, and video game addiction. The treatment will be “culturally informed” with free virtual family programs and lifetime aftercare will be available to clients, both in person and online.

Holistic therapy approaches will include yoga, music therapy, art therapy, sound therapy, and massage therapy, physical fitness, zumba, wellness coaching. And onsite equine therapy will be added in 2026.

The grounds of the facility itself are also an integral part of the treatment process, according to Hillier.

“Our 10-acre property offers a peaceful setting with fountains, ponds, and covered bridges. The grounds include landscaped nature walks through forested areas with quiet sitting spaces for reflection and outdoor therapy.

Hillier brings an impressive resume to his new post. He Oshawa’s 2024 community leader of the year and is a professor in Centennial College’s Addiction and Mental Health Worker program.

But according to Hillier, that experience is only part of the story.

But what truly qualifies Hillier to lead a premier treatment centre like Hope Valley is not just his resume, but his own story. He lived in active addiction for more than 25 years. At one point, he was unhoused, washing his socks in a creek, “and clinging to what I now call the gift of desperation.”

As well, his daughter, too, went through perilous times with addiction.

“During my darkest days, I was filing missing people’s reports for her. Today, she is five years clean from fentanyl, married, reunited with her children, and working professionally as an interventionist with RBT & Interventions,” he says.

She is also a survivor of human trafficking, he says, and he’s learned a lot from her courage and recovery.

It’s part of the reason Hope Valley has a free weekly family support session for anyone, friend or family — “who feels alone while supporting a loved one through addiction or mental health challenges.”

Hillier is also using his professional and lived experience to found Relating in Recovery, a grassroots movement dedicated to community building and community-based fundraising that will help subsidize ‘compassion beds’ — dedicated spaces for individuals who may not have the financial means to access private care — at Hope Valley.

Explains Hillier, “the fee-for-service beds are priced modestly and remain in line with industry standards. Importantly, a portion of these fees helps subsidize our compassion beds.”

The CEO says the response to their opening has been positive.

People here and in “the surrounding region deserve this lifeline. We’re proud and honored to bring it to them.”

For more information contact the centre’s compassionate care team at 249-288-5659 or at .