A Look into the “Oasis for CAMH”: A Spotlight on the Shkaabe Makwa Medicine Garden

At Shkaabe Makwa, pathways to recovery for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis clients prioritize cultural and spiritual practices. One of these practices, particularly for First Nations peoples, is the use of the Four Sacred Medicines - tobacco, sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. As these healing traditions originate from many centuries ago, these cultural principles have been passed down through generations and continue to be used today. 

Located behind 60 White Squirrel Way in the CAMH Ceremony Grounds lies the Medicine Garden, honouring the knowledge of Indigenous ancestors. “[The garden is] an oasis for CAMH and for our [community members who visit],” says Walter Lindstone, Supervisor of Traditional Healing for Shkaabe Makwa Clinical Services. 

The Medicine Garden is home to the Four Sacred Medicines that are highly revered within First Nations communities. Commonly used across hospital programs for prayer and to cleanse the mind, body, spirit, or physical spaces  the integration of the garden illustrates the wholistic approach to wellness, care and recovery.

• Tobacco: As one of the most sacred medicines, tobacco is used as an offering to show gratitude. It can be used to communicate thoughts and prayers for an individual, their family, and extended community. 
• Sage: Most often utilized to assist Elders, Cultural Care Practitioners and community members in preparation for ceremonies. It can aid in cleansing sacred spaces.
• Sweetgrass: Braided as a symbol of strength and honour, and burned to remind us of the sweetness of life. It is a kind, gentle, and loving medicine.
• Cedar: Cedar is boiled as a tea and put on the sacred Grandfather/Grandmother stones during the Sweat Lodge ceremony. It is a cleansing and purification medicine.

In 2020, the Medicine Garden planted its seeds at 10 White Squirrel Way where tobacco, sweetgrass, and two cedar trees began to grow. As the initial planning and design of the new Ceremony Grounds evolved, the Medicine Garden was relocated to 60 White Squirrel Way in 2024.  

Led by former CAMH Elder Diane Longboat and staff from Aboriginal Services (since renamed to Shkaabe Makwa Clinical Services) , the garden thoughtfully incorporated meaningful architectural structures to support the cultural practices that you currently see today. For example, a specialized mesh was installed in the grass for service vehicles to deliver wood and rocks without sinking into the mud and getting stuck, says Walter.  Indigenous plant species were also incorporated throughout the sacred space, reflecting the thought and wisdom embedded in the design.

The Medicine Garden is more than a place where sacred plants grow. Rooted in traditional healing practices, it offers CAMH clients an opportunity to reconnect with the land while strengthening their relationship with Indigenous healing practices.  “The clients plant and care for the medicines themselves,” says Walter. “We watch them grow, and we learn a lot from caring for these plant medicines. They need to be watered and weeded on a regular basis. The metaphor is similar to mental health and addictions. You have to be patient, be diligent, and keep working at it. It's a process.”

Although the garden is small, it has a profound impact. Shkaabe Makwa Social Worker 2, Christian Wells, shared some of his experiences in the garden with clients. 

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity 

What does your day-to-day look like?

In my work, I mostly do one-to-one counselling with clients. Another part of my work is facilitating groups including the Welcoming Circle, [at 60 White Squirrel Way] where we visit the Medicine Garden. 

The Welcoming Circle is a new initiative that happened as a result of the post-pandemic period, where a lot of our clients had become remote. We wanted to create something for them—a place to come onsite and connect with other people, because a lot of people felt disconnected.

Can you share a little about clients’ experiences in the garden?

Inviting clients to be part of creating the Medicine Garden, the upkeep and care of it, gives them responsibility. A lot of them might not have jobs, so they don't always have evidence that they can contribute. 

It's a concrete thing where they can say, "Look, I contributed to this. The plants grew over the summer, and now we have medicine that we can use." They can use it themselves, it can be part of our ceremonies, and other clients can use it in the future.

Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

What’s really cool about our program is that we also do inpatient work. I go to visit people on the inpatient units and also the Medical Withdrawal Service, and we sometimes have those clients come and do things like join our Welcoming Circle. I think that's kind of a unique, rare thing in the hospital.

Recently, we had a client from the Medical Withdrawal Service help us plant the tobacco plants. It was really nice to see someone get out of clinical spaces and have them come out to the Ceremony Grounds, get some fresh air, work in the soil, and be outside in nature.