Laying the groundwork for a new wellness camp in Yellowknife

Taking over the campgrounds of the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, the Tree of Peace is looking to launch a new wellness camp to help those in need of assistance. 

From the southwest corner of Yellowknife’s multiplex parking lot, a brisk two-minute walk into the foliage leads you to a campground with teepees and cabins. This location is the foundation of the Tree of Peace’s new initiative. 

Although specific programming is not yet decided, the group says it intends to run wellness programming such as trauma-informed workshops similar to those offered by the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, or AIWF. 

Prior to the land transfer, AIWF provided a one-on-one culturally rooted healing program for Indigenous residents facing mental health and substance abuse struggles and who were at risk of homelessness or incarceration.

AIWF has since decided it can no longer run that form of programming, citing funding constraints as one reason for the closure, as first reported by the CBC. It has now shifted focus to education, training and capacity building. 

The Tree of Peace said it entered negotiations for the land transfer by November 2025 and received approval in May. 

Byrne Richards, community wellness manager at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, described this transfer as a “godsend.”

“This is an absolute bonus to be able to provide this kind of wraparound aftercare kind of service to the community,” Richards said.

The land provides a connection for people who have no place to be and feel “unconnected,” he said, explaining that the land is a pivotal part of the healing process. While the organization has received some funding for this programming, Richards said it is still actively seeking more financial support.

“We don’t have any money to do this, but we’re doing it anyway, because that’s who the Tree of Peace is” he said.

The Tree of Peace said it is looking at collaborating with various organizations, including the Foster Family Coalition, Home Base, Standpoint Solutions, the Yellowknife Women’s Society and the Salvation Army. 

Charles Zikalala, an executive director of Standpoint Solutions – a company focused on mental health capacity building – said the firm has been working with the Tree of Peace to establish a family healing program.

The proposed program aims to bring parents, caregivers and children through treatment together, addressing the underlying trauma that contributes to addiction while providing ongoing support in the North after families return home.

Zikalala argues that many individuals going through substance abuse return to environments that contribute to their addiction.

“Most times they are going back to the same situation that they left and so, when people relapse, it’s not quite unusual,” he said. 

As part of the family healing program, the Tree of Peace will look to integrate the Foster Family Coalition’s Camp Connections into the treatment process.

“After the three weeks at Camp Connections, we reintegrate them back into the community here, but the idea is to have this aftercare component,” said Zikalala. 

“The idea is that the whole family unit can go through the healing process together.”