Moosomin’s South East Recovery Centre approved to bid on addictions recovery spaces
January 19, 2026, 10:04 am
Nicole Taylor, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Moosomin is one step closer to being able to set up an addictions treatment centre in the community after the South East Recovery group’s Request for Qualification (RFQ) application was approved in the fall of 2025.
This means that next time the provincial government puts out a call for groups to bid on addiction recovery beds in Southeast Saskatchewan, Moosomin will be one of the qualified bidders.
“The Moosomin South East Recovery Group has been interested in furthering assistance for addictions recovery in Moosomin and they have been collectively gathering for a number of years toward that goal, and one of their goals was a recovery centre,” says Greg Hoffort with RSG Solutions Group who has been helping the Moosomin South East Recovery Group with the process.
“To qualify to even bid on becoming a recovery centre in Saskatchewan, your organization first has to be qualified as a bidder. So the province put out a Request for Qualification (RFQ) process in the fall of 2025. It happens every year. Moosomin entered that process and they were successful. They became qualified, which means they demonstrated to the government they have the ability to bid on future projects when they become available, demonstrating things like the legitimacy of the organization that is requesting this, some clinical expertise, and operational expertise. They consider the quality of the board members, all different sorts of things go into this.
“They became qualified late in the fall of 2025. So the next time the province puts out a call for groups to bid on addiction recovery beds in Southeast Saskatchewan, they are one of the qualified bidders that could bid on that.
“There is no telling when that could be. There are some requests for services out in Northern Saskatchewan right now, but as of the new year there haven’t been any for Southern Saskatchewan.
“So that is where they are at now, they are a qualified bidder should beds open up in Southeast Saskatchewan.
“The government will at some point say they are looking for interested applicants to send a request for service proposal to operate addiction recovery beds. The Moosomin group is now in a position to put in a proposal. It’s a competitive process. It’s open to anyone who is qualified. Moosomin is now in a position to put in a proposal to actually be considered by the government to provide addiction recovery spaces.”
What would be required for a successful proposal?
“They need to have a plan,” says Hoffort. “They need to have options. The government needs some confidence that they have the ability to secure a facility, that they have the ability to provide a solid, evidence-based clinical program, the ability to provide staff, and have community support.
It’s a fairly detailed process and Moosomin seems to be gaining steam in that regard.”
While the group must wait for the government to issue a request for service proposals, Hoffort says the group can still make some plans while waiting for that to happen, including finding a location for those treatment spaces.
“They would certainly want to be in the discussion stages,” he says. “You can’t lay out the capital funding for a building if you don’t know if you are getting the program, so it’s kind of a tricky situation, but if they were awarded the ability to create spaces in Moosomin, they wouldn’t be required to open it the next week, there is usually up to a year of a process.
“There are a number of options they could consider, from existing space to creating new space to renting space. There are different options and their discussions are taking them down that road.
“Typically what will happen is the government will put out a request for service saying they are looking for a certain number of addiction recovery spaces. It might be inpatient beds, it might be detox beds, it might be any different number of addiction recovery spaces. When they put out the one that meets the Moosomin group’s mandate, the next step is for them to put in an application to be the successful applicant.
“The government is looking for some spaces now, but they are in Northern Saskatchewan. What is commonly reported in the media is that Saskatchewan is nearing 300 spaces, and the government has indicated their desire to create 500 new spaces. So they are over half way there, but there are a lot of spaces left, so the hope is that some will be put out in Southern Saskatchewan.”
Greg Nosterud is the chair of the South East Recovery group. He says the group recognizes the issue that drugs are causing in the local area.
“We are recognizing in our local area there are lots of people who are struggling and even more so with some of the hard drugs that are out there,” he says.
“We will be working on facility procurement. With addictions you need to have a spot for people now.”
Rand Teed with RSG Solutions Group has also been helping the South East Recovery group with the process of setting up addictions treatment in Moosomin. Teed is also a certified addictions counsellor who lives south of Moosomin.
“For many in our community, the addiction crisis isn’t just a headline—it’s a personal reality,” says Teed. “Almost everyone in our town has a family member, a friend, or a coworker who has struggled with substance use. We hear time and again how difficult it is to find local, accessible help. Currently, families are often forced to navigate a complex system or travel long distances during their most vulnerable moments. This centre will change that by providing a path to healing right here at home.
“Beyond the vital social impact, the South East Recovery Centre represents a major economic investment in Moosomin. The facility will create a significant number of new, permanent jobs, ranging from specialized healthcare and counselling roles to administrative and support staff. This infusion of employment will boost our local economy and reinforce Moosomin’s growing reputation as a regional hub for healthcare services.
“Furthermore, the shift from active addiction to recovery carries a profound ripple effect for our society. When individuals enter recovery, we see a marked decrease in the strain on our emergency rooms, law enforcement, and social services. More importantly, we see people return to their families and the workforce as productive, contributing members of our community.
“As we move into this next phase, we want to thank the community for its ongoing support. We are committed to making it easier for our neighbors to get the help they need, while simultaneously strengthening the economic fabric of the place we all call home.”
