On September 28, families of our residents came together for a warm and meaningful day at Portage Saint-Malachie. The day began with a delicious meal prepared by our chef Maryse Breton, followed by activities that reflect daily life at Portage — from household tasks to a friendly volleyball match between parents and residents. The energy… Read more »
After our son overdosed, we knew he needed help — and fast — only we had no idea how to get it. We felt like we were flailing and spiraling all at the same time, so we did what most lost people do: we took to Google. Turns out, we’ve never been so thankful for… Read more »
My life before Portage was chaos. I wasn’t living, I was surviving. I experienced perinatal bereavement, but never really faced up to it. Then my father passed away and I completely lost my footing. And so began my descent into hell. What followed was an interminable succession of stupid, ill-considered decisions that destroyed everyone I… Read more »
Portage helped my son gain a better understanding of who he is. It gave him back his pride and his sense of value. It helped him find new ways of dealing with his issues and challenges. By the time he entered Portage last April, I was exhausted, but for the first time in a very… Read more »
After months of turmoil, our family challenge started on November 23, 2020 Covid certainly didn’t make things easy. We discovered Portage by means of a videoconference that walked us through a virtual tour of the premises, the admission process was conducted outside, and we bid farewell to our daughter in the parking lot, hoping she… Read more »
Illicit drug use among youth can stem from various factors including social pressure, curiosity, anxiety, depression or a desire to experience strong sensations. Despite these common motivations for drug use, parents don’t always recognize the early signs of substance use in their children. These signs can go undetected for many reasons, including a lack of… Read more »
On his Recognition Day, two years after finishing the residential program at Portage Elora, Noah delivered a heartfelt speech to his peers, their families and the Portage staff. Here is a glimpse of his testimonial. “Sobriety will be one of the greatest gifts we will ever give ourselves! It’s now been 15 months, since I… Read more »
“I am honoured to be able to give back to such a wonderful and meaningful program like Portage, and that I have members of the Portage family that trust me to represent them by telling my story. This was something I couldn’t have imagined doing a few years ago but with the help of the… Read more »
ʺIt takes a long time for a parent to realize their child has a substance use problem. After all, maybe their child’s behaviour is just par for the course for a teenager? Maybe they’re just going through a bad phase? I had started noticing changes in my son’s behaviour. He had a new group of… Read more »
Mathis is a turbulent, but very endearing child. He is an explorer, a cheerful boy, a ray of sunshine with boundless energy. He never wants to sleep and never says he’s tired. For many years, he would wake up several times a night; truth be told, he would do so up until he started taking… Read more »
