On September 5th, 2024, the government of New Brunswick announced a pledge to provide 1.46 million dollars in funding to the Village of Hope Drug and Alcohol Regeneration Facility, via the Regional Development Corporation for the purpose of expanding the campus. As stated on their website, the Village of Hope is a “ten-month Christian-based program dedicated to helping men and women of all ages overcome life-controlling drug and alcohol problems.” Located in the rural village of Upper Tracy, about 46 minutes outside of Fredericton. The intentions behind this action seem benevolent. After all, in recent years New Brunswick has developed a nasty drug habit with the number of opioid-related deaths reaching an alarming rate in 2023. Therefore, this act of goodwill to addicts and those who advocate for them seems genuine. However, there are some very interesting incidents to note when considering the sincerity behind this act. So far Higgs has scoffed at the advice of experts regarding safe injection sites and has looked at passing legislation to allow officers of the law to force addicts into treatment. These incidents look quite strange when compared with the main topic at hand, why would Higgs balk at the advice of those who are most skilled in this domain? The answer is votes.

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When looking into the Village of Hope, their intentions seem genuine, and I am sure they are. It seems that they have a lovely facility, nestled into the beautiful countryside of central New Brunswick. This is the ideal place for such a thing, where one can rekindle the fire of life within by getting in touch with nature. Their treatment plan is explained as a five-phase program: Induction (Teachings of Christianity), Orientation (Recognizing the effect of addiction on loved ones), Regeneration (Learning the nature of addiction), Healing (Closing the wounds of the past), and Discipleship (Leaving behind the past and looking towards the future). The program as outlined seems to be well thought out, though it is different than secular methods that involve psychotherapy and medication.

Though there are some strange aspects to this place, one thing that is easily verifiable via their website is the fact that there are no trained medical professionals on staff, only pastors, reverends, administration, and those involved with the construction and industry side of the business. The co-founder, Bishop Märt Vähi of the Estonian Pentecostal Church seems to have initially founded a different Village of Hope in Kibuna, Estonia. This other location seems to operate similarly to the New Brunswick location, though there is a more self-conscious tone in the writing of the about us section which dedicates a paragraph to assuaging the concerns of those who may think of the Village as some sort of labour camp.

On the topic of labour at the Village, they hold connections to Marwood which seems to be a supplier of wooden products. From what can be gathered from the Village’s website, the patients produce lumber for Marwood. According to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, those working patients are made to work 10-hour days for 5-6 days of the week allegedly without a wage. However, this labour is voluntary and patients can leave whenever they want. This system is closer to some strange Calvinist indentured servitude, labour not by force but for the promise of some reward, salvation. There is also an on-site garden where produce is grown. Although, there is no information to answer the question of whether or not it is tended to by the staff or by patients. If it is tended to by patients, then it is a lovely idea as those patients can see and taste the fruits of their labour.

To address the topic that has gotten very little attention so far, the Village is a facility with strong ties to Pentecostal Christianity as their co-founder is a Bishop of the Estonian Pentecostal Church, and their association with the Apostolic Church of Pentecost is proudly displayed on their website. It goes without saying that a government entity providing funding to a religious organization of any kind is troubling in my eyes. This interferes immensely with the notion of the separation of church and state, as it truly looks like Higgs puts more stock into healing through faith rather than through modern medicine. To me, this appears as a calculated move to appeal to the highly prized Christian conservative sect of our province, to appease addicts and those who advocate for them while courting the non-secular and traditional values crowd. This comes as no surprise as in recent years Higgs has thrown himself headlong into the swirling chaos of the culture war gripping Western society, a war in which the Christian faith is deeply entrenched.

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The most infamous among Higgs’ expeditions into the fog of war was the decision made in April of 2023 to place Policy 713 under review, due to claims of complaints from parents which were found to be fictitious. This policy allowed students to provide school educators and staff with their preferred pronouns and names, without parental intervention. The aim of this policy is clearly to appeal to the growing sociopolitical movement of “parental rights” that aims to combat the “indoctrination of children” regarding the topics of LGBTQ+ identities and “woke ideologies” as a whole. One of the loudest local voices within this realm is an individual known as Faytene Grasseschi. Faytene is known for starting the Don’t Delete Parents campaign, described as a “Grassroots movement of common sense for families” on the campaign’s website. She is also the newly nominated PC MLA candidate for Hampton in the upcoming provincial election, which is worrisome due to some portions from her 2009 book, “Marked: A Generation of Dread Champions Rising to Shift Nations”. This to me is a bizarre New Age Christian diatribe that rails against same-sex marriage among other topics that are exactly what you would expect from a book of this nature. The most important subject to consider here is the notion of theocracy, which is referenced on page 33 of her book, “I am not only calling you to advance and fill the earth, but I am also commissioning you to subdue it as you go. That means to rule over all of creation. Rule over the fish, the creatures, the land. Rule over everything” This is in accordance with what she refers to on page 32 as God’s “take-over mentality”. She is the herald of a new and strange direction of the Progressive Conservative Party.

It is no surprise that this violent shift further to the right caused the more moderate among the party to drop out these include Gary Crossman (the former Hampton MLA), Dominic Cardy (former Minister of Education), and Trevor Holder (former Minister of Post-Secondary Education) to name a few, only for these positions to be filled by reactionaries like Faytene. Now it must be clarified that this one instance of funding for this religious organization does not make the Higgs administration evil, it just looks a bit like a powerplay when considered within the grand scope of his reign. Although, I must agree that more addicts getting help is a net positive for society, even if secular avenues are secondary at the moment. If this is one of the only options, while other options recommended by experts are either shelved or languished due to lack of funding, then there is a problem. This will only work out well if the GNB also explores other avenues that will provide care for all addicts, not solely Christian or soon-to-be Christian addicts.