Methadone & Suboxone Treatment Programs in Ontario
Parker* from Northern Ontario is looking for the facility, Camillus Centre. He had heard through the grapevine that they accept individuals on Methadone and Suboxone. He works as a training coordinator where he supports students in the heavy machinery training program and then helps find employment afterwards. However, he’s been getting several calls from students who are on stabilized methadone or Suboxone doses and are being refused employment because the employer says they are not “sober”. Parker is looking for programs or centres that will help these students off of Methadone or Suboxone, so they can secure employment and put their new skill to use. To his surprise, we told him it’s not the Camillus Centre he’s looking for, it’s the Oaks Centre for Withdrawal (which is also offered by St. Joseph’s General Hospital). We discussed that his students on Methadone will need to taper to 30mg or less before they can attend the centre and complete their withdrawals. The Camillus Centre is for treatment once individuals are sober if they need help with coping, creating a foundation for recovery, etc. Parker and any other teacher/instructor/professor in this position will need to tell their students that they need to work with their Methadone/Suboxone prescriber and ask to taper at a safe rate to maintain stability. It may be good to start this as soon as possible when Methadone/Suboxone use becomes known. This situation also made us wonder if this was a labor violation or unethical to deny a potential interviewee a chance at employment because of a taboo prescribed substance. It’s similar to not hiring someone because they are on antidepressants (stabilizing their mood). We suggested Parker look into the Ontario labour codes to see if employers had the right to deny employment on the basis of a Methadone or Suboxone prescription. This way he could better coach his students on defending their labour rights if, in fact, they are being denied a chance at employment because of description towards methadone or Suboxone...
