{"id":50258,"date":"2026-11-06T10:04:04","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/?p=50258"},"modified":"2026-11-06T10:13:48","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:13:48","slug":"national-users-rights-week-making-your-voice-heard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/national-users-rights-week-making-your-voice-heard\/","title":{"rendered":"National Users\u2019 Rights Week: Making Your Voice Heard"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

From November 8 to 14, Portage is recognizing Users’ Rights Week<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

This week is an opportunity to remind everyone that people receiving services at our centres have the right to share their views, ask questions and play an active role in improving their experience. At Portage, the Users’ Committee and Resident Committees help make that participation possible.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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The Users’ Committee: A Voice Within Portage<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Users’ Committee is made up of people who understand the realities of receiving services at Portage, including former residents who want to stay involved, give back and use their experience to support others.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The committee’s role is to promote and protect users’ rights, provide information and support them through various processes. It also gives users a voice and an opportunity to contribute to improving services.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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“After 48 years at Portage, meetings with the Users’ Committee and Resident Committees always remind me why this work matters so much. Seeing residents speak up, share their ideas and get involved in their community is incredibly motivating.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n

– Sonia Leblanc, Users’ Committee Resource Person \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\u00a0 Resident Committees at the Heart of Our Centres<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Resident Committees are made up of people currently participating in Portage’s residential treatment programs. Members are elected by their peers to represent their views and gather their suggestions.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Resident Committees are active in all of our residential programs in Quebec and New Brunswick. The Quebec City Day Centre has its own Users’ Committee.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Each month, the staff members responsible for these committees meet virtually to share updates, ideas and concerns raised at the different centres. The Users’ Committee helps ensure that these committees operate effectively and follows up on the suggestions they bring forward.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0 Bringing Ideas to Life in Our Centres<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Throughout the year, the committees organize a variety of initiatives to raise awareness of users’ rights, encourage participation and recognize residents’ progress.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

One of these initiatives is an art contest to create the Users’ Calendar. Each month highlights one of the 12 users’ rights through an artwork created by a resident.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The committee also helps recognize those who complete their treatment program. Graduates receive a Portage hoodie identifying them as graduates, a symbol of their perseverance and the progress they have made in their recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

This year, members of the Mother\u00a0& Child Centre committee also repainted the dining room tables, incorporating the 12 users’ rights along with inspiring messages. It is a creative way to make these rights visible every day to residents, their children and visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

These initiatives may seem simple, but they all contribute to the same goal: raising awareness of users’ rights and empowering people to take an active role in the services they receive.<\/p>\r\n

\"Banni\u00e8re<\/figure>\r\n

Have a Question, Concern or Complaint?<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Users’ Committee helps improve the quality of services by gathering feedback, concerns and suggestions from residents.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

When someone receiving services or a member of their family or\u00a0loved\u00a0ones\u00a0has a concern, is dissatisfied with a service or wishes to file a complaint, several options are available. A good first step is often to speak with their counsellor, program manager or centre director. The Users’ Committee can also answer questions about users’ rights, explain the options available and support anyone who wishes to take further action or file a complaint.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Users may also contact the Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner<\/a>, an independent body responsible for reviewing complaints related to services received. Complaints are handled confidentially and respectfully, without affecting the services a person receives.<\/p>\r\n

To contact the Users’ Committee: comiteusagermontreal@portage.ca<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

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Want to Get Involved?<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

The Users’ Committee is always looking for new members. Current and former users, as well as family members and loved ones, can get involved and help improve the experience of people receiving services at Portage.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

To learn more or express your interest, contact the Users’ Committee:<\/b> comiteusagermontreal@portage.ca<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

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From November 8 to 14, Portage is recognizing Users’ Rights Week.\u00a0 This week is an opportunity to remind everyone that people receiving services at our centres have the right to share their views, ask questions and play an active role in improving their experience. At Portage, the Users’ Committee and Resident Committees help make that… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":50259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,6,4],"tags":[367],"class_list":["post-50258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-atlantic-news","category-quebec-news","tag-sobriety"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50258"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50266,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50258\/revisions\/50266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}