Bonvie Recovery Centre To Help Those With Addiction & Mental Health Issues

Catherine Reynolds with files from Jeff Green | Oct 09, 2024

Inconspicuous from the road, Bonvie Recovery is a new facility in South Frontenac Township that is addressing the addiction and mental health crisis gripping Canada, and the world beyond.

Located on the shore of Little Franklin Lake just north of Perth Road, the house feels like a beacon of hope. After months of intensive work to restore the building, the house radiates warmth and comfort; with views of the water and seven acres of trails over the Canadian Shield.

“We are facing an enormous pandemic of addiction,” said David Rosenberg, the Director of Bonvie. “There is an immediate need to address this disease. The mental health and addiction situation is so bad, if you need help, you’re not going to be in hospital for more than one week. The social medication part of this is horrendous. This is an exploding problem.”

Rosenberg knows about addictions from personal history. When he was a young man, soon after a business reversal, he became addicted to crack cocaine. It cost him his first marriage, home, one-lung and half a million dollars. 

It took him several attempts before he was able to reach a state of sobriety and abstinence. He has since devoted his professional life to helping others to get clean and stay clean, whatever form their addiction takes.

“I can’t keep what I have unless I give it away,” he said.

Rosenberg took addiction education training at McMaster, and took on the role of director of operations at Jewish Addictions Community Services in Toronto. He worked as the director of a transitional housing facility in Toronto (Headway House) and then established his own practice under the banner of DPR Mentoring: Addiction Family Services, in Toronto.

He said that with the assistance of a financial backer, he has been looking for a suitable location for a residential treatment facility to make use of all his experience in counselling to work in a treatment centre.

The Brooks Landing Retirement Home closed its doors in August of 2022, and the building and grounds were put up for sale. Early in 2024, Bonvie Recovery bought the property and began a renovation project to update the facility, and build in a detox centre in addition to in-patient rooms and common areas.

The centre had a soft opening in the early summer, and have been treating a small number of patients since then. Bonvie Recovery administrator Kimberly Suffron, who has worked for 20 years as a frontline mental health and addiction recovery worker, said that the past few months have been an invaluable opportunity for the new staff at the centre to get to know each other and to develop a working relationship. At the same time, the ancillary buildings and grounds have been upgraded.

“When you look at the addicts in desperate need of help in downtown Ottawa, you want to cry,” said David Rosenberg, who sees Bonvie Recovery as a last resort for many drug addicts and people who are mentally unwell.

He is quick to explain that he does rehab differently. “They’re people; I run relationships,” he says kindly. “A big piece of this is getting into their lives, it’s called a love-first approach. We have many talks a day and laugh a lot. It’s all about love and support. Ninety per cent of these people don’t love themselves. My motto is ‘We’re going to love you until you love yourself’, which is better than the cookie cutter approach.”

In addition to group and individual discussions, in-patient residents are expected to attend a community group twice a week. The centre is composed of 34 beds with private washrooms and a restaurant-style kitchen with BBQ. It has a gym, games room and deck overlooking the water - music, art and massage therapy will be offered soon. 

So far, the centre has been well received by the community, and the people it is serving. Owners plan to be open and transparent with the work, and build partnerships with all arms of emergency services.

“I think saving lives in a community is a good thing. This disease almost took my life, twice. I had a horrible, horrible time. I needed to grow-up and I wouldn’t have done it without a treatment centre.”

Speaking from a small staff room near the lounge, Clinical Lead Drug and Detox Counsellor/Intake worker, Scottlynd Gaudet builds personalised care plans for every in-patient resident, during admission.

“We’re family here,” she says of Bonvie. “You’re coming to get better. We don’t treat people like clients. We lead with love.”

Pointing to every unique part of the building and grounds, Administrator Kim Suffron notes, “This place is exceptional. Each floor has a laundry room and quiet space. It’s very peaceful here. The care is excellent; we use the 12-step philosophy to addiction recovery. When you leave, we will even remain in contact once a week.

“It’s very hard to do it (recover from addiction). There are real character deficits in these people. It’s hard to live in this world comfortably,” said David Roseberg of Bonvie Recovery’s mission. “I don’t envy my children; It’s a tough world. That’s what happened to me. I was very unhappy. But addiction is a false solution. It’s all about caring for them, they are people. If they don’t find help, they die.”

Bonvie Recovery’s staff also include Mental Health and Addictions Counsellors Angelina DeSousa, Kassy Dyer and Rachel Lynk, and Addiction Specialist Lyz Dick. 

Treatment at Bonvie does not come cheap. The cost is $18,000 per month and patients can require up to 90 days before leaving, depending on the type and severity of their addition.

David Rosenberg is unapologetic about the price, which he says is lower than it is at other centres with similar facility and staffing levels.

“I know this is harsh and I warn people before I say it to them, but it costs a lot for a funeral these days as well, $12,000 to $15,000. $18,000 is a better deal than that.”

There are also funds available and a loan program that patients can access to make the cost for treatment more affordable.

To contact Bonvie Recovery, call 1-888-569-0833 or visit bonvierecovery.ca