ONTARIO—Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory’s own Jonathan Peltier of the Justice Program was one of the keynote speakers at the Chiefs of Ontario Mental Wellness and Substance Use conference, held in Collingwood from January 28 to 30. His story is one of perseverance, transformation and a deep commitment to justice and healing for Indigenous communities.
Mr. Peltier, who serves as a Gladue aftercare worker and in prisoner reintegration, has dedicated his life to assisting Indigenous men and women in federal custody. His work involves not only helping individuals transition out of incarceration but also delivering culturally relevant programs within correctional facilities. As a shkabewis (helper), Mr. Peltier builds relationships, carrying forward the teachings that shaped his own journey.
A Journey of Transformation
Mr. Peltier’s path to justice work is a deeply personal one. At the age of 18, he was facing a four-year prison sentence but became one of the first individuals to benefit from a diversion program offered by Aboriginal Legal Services. Instead of serving time, he was placed under the guidance of elders and introduced to firekeeping at a sweat lodge. Although his connection to firekeeping had been brief, it would later become central to his healing journey and professional life.
His struggles with the justice system began at 13, from a youth offender, leading to repeated cycles of incarceration. His final prison sentence, served in Millhaven Institution, ended on June 13, 2014. That day marked a turning point. He recognized his own institutionalization—the way his mind had adapted to viewing prison as an inevitable outcome. The realization fuelled his determination to break the cycle, not just for himself but for others.
“I never thought that I would ever be a justice worker. That was something that was never on my radar, because I was in conflict with the law, with the criminal justice system since I was 13, and I was going in and out of youth detention, secure detention, open custody. And then when I became an adult, I descended into the adult corrections system,” Mr. Peltier told the audience.
“I sat there on the bus, heading back to Millhaven, and I asked myself, ‘Why do I keep coming back here?’” Mr. Peltier recalled. “And the answer was that I had accepted it. It was normal to me. And that scared me.”
“I realized I was institutionalized. The last offense I committed, I committed consciously. I looked at it and I said, ‘Oh, well, if I’m going to go do this, I’m going to get this much time, possibly a bit more.’ But my brain was addicted, I was on drugs. I was an IV drug user, and my brain said, ‘I could live with two years, I can live with maybe four,’ and I went ahead and I did it (committed the crime). And I realized that I had become institutionalized.”
Upon his release, he found himself in a familiar struggle: his environment had not changed, and those he knew were still caught in addiction. Mr. Peltier himself continued using until a near-fatal infection forced him to reconsider his path.
“I was working full time constructing rail guards on the highway and using in the portapotties, and I got an epidural abscess on my spine. I was in a wheelchair, I couldn’t walk and was on heavy duty antibiotics. I had nowhere to go, so my mom and my auntie made arrangements for me to go back to Wiikwemkoong. I didn’t want to go back home. I had associated my community with my inability to prosper. I had been traumatized as a child there, and back then we didn’t have trauma informed programs like what we have today.”
His turning point came when his own son, also battling addiction, overdosed and nearly died. That moment pushed Mr. Peltier to seek treatment alongside his son, setting them both on a path toward recovery. He has now been sober for a decade and works tirelessly to help others find a way forward.
“Wiikwemkoong has transformed. When I first moved back I began to see that differences. Over the past decade, I’ve seen real change: the community is working hard to shift away from substance abuse, the introduction of harm reduction programs like methadone treatment and a growing support system for those in recovery are there. Our community is moving forward healing.”
Both Mr. Peltier and his son entered the methadone program, despite having reservations about its success.
“My son got better—he’s a manager now and a father. Becoming a grandfather and seeing his journey made me take that step too. I followed the program, stayed committed and after three years, I got off methadone. Sobriety became fruitful. What really grounded me was firekeeping—starting as a volunteer, taking night shifts to avoid people, but realizing the night brings out different people, different stories. That’s where I reconnected.”
The Urgent Need for Indigenous Reintegration Support
Indigenous people are vastly overrepresented in the Canadian justice system. In 2020/2021, Indigenous adults made up 31 percent of admissions to provincial and territorial custody, despite accounting for only five percent of Canada’s adult population. In Ontario, the incarceration rate for Indigenous adults is 32 per 10,000, compared to 4.5 per 10,000 for non-Indigenous adults. Indigenous women are disproportionately affected, comprising 50 percent of female admissions to custody.
Despite having the highest concentration of federal penitentiaries in Canada, Ontario has no Section 81 Healing Lodges, unlike other provinces. Healing Lodges provide culturally appropriate, community-based alternatives to incarceration and have been proven to reduce recidivism. Without such a facility, Indigenous inmates in Ontario lack access to restorative justice initiatives that prioritize healing and reintegration.
“It’s frustrating,” Mr. Peltier admitted. “In other provinces, we see Healing Lodges changing lives. Men and women come out prepared, supported, and with a sense of identity. We don’t have that here in Ontario. Instead, we release people into the same environments that got them into trouble in the first place, without any real transition. How is that justice?”
To bridge this gap, Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory is taking the very first steps to implement its own transitional housing initiatives that could also include a reintegration program. This effort is designed to support those exiting prison, as well as individuals struggling with homelessness, mental health and addiction.
“With the transitional home, we’re hoping to help the homeless demographic, but also the people that are struggling with finding aftercare after treatment, and also safe place for that after care to occur, to rebuild life skills and rebuild their place in our community,” Mr. Peltier told The Expositor.
“What we want to achieve with our transitional home is to help people make that transition from their previous life, whatever that may entail, but onto a more fruitful life that benefits us, them, their families and community. Right now, we’re strictly in the planning stages, and we’re developing a program that we hope will complement these issues and, hopefully, have a piece that will include a reintegration program,” he went on to say.
Building a Transitional Home for Healing and Reintegration
Wiikwemkoong is in the early stages of developing a transitional home that will provide aftercare, life skills training and a stable environment for those who need help getting on their feet.
The program is in its formative stages and seeks to complement existing programs in the community. While the transitional home may not focus solely on reintegration of former inmates, the goal is to meet people where they are at as a proactive measure of prevention. The transitional home could be helpful for persons who are in arrears and unable to secure housing due to credit issues, for persons who are at the beginning of their recovery journey or for person who struggle with mental health, all of whom are at greater risk of houselessness and incarceration.
Section 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act allows Indigenous inmates to transition into their communities with structured support. By leveraging this legislation and other available resources, the transitional home will offer an alternative to conventional halfway houses, providing access to cultural healing practices, Elders and long-term support that extends beyond initial release.
Mr. Peltier emphasized the importance of lived experience in this initiative, highlighting how those who have navigated similar challenges can offer unique mentorship and guidance. Sharing personal stories in a safe environment fosters healing, not only for the individuals directly involved but also for their families and the broader community. He underscored that helping one person creates a ripple effect—reducing stress for parents, children and extended family members who have carried the burden of worry and uncertainty.
While there is strong community collaboration behind the project, there are also challenges, including concerns about location and skepticism about the effectiveness of reintegration services. However, Mr. Peltier stressed the need for collective responsibility and emphasized that overcoming these challenges requires setting aside individual differences for the greater good of community healing.
The initiative is a collaborative effort, involving multiple stakeholders and service providers, and while Mr. Peltier played a role in its inception through his network, he maintains that the project belongs to the community. He acknowledges that policy changes and systemic barriers make large-scale reform difficult, but he remains committed to pushing for long-term solutions. The goal is to establish a sustainable model that prioritizes cultural healing, stability, and reintegration, ultimately helping to reduce recidivism among First Nations people in Ontario.
The transitional home will aim to offer culturally specific recovery modalities, ensuring that residents have access to Elders, traditional medicine, and ceremonies. The goal is to create a holistic healing space, where individuals can not only rebuild their lives but also become mentors for others.
“It’s not just about the person leaving prison,” Mr. Peltier said. “When we help them heal, we help their parents sleep at night. We help their kids grow up without fear of losing them. We help the entire community move forward. That’s why this matters.”
Community Collaboration and the Road Ahead
Mr. Peltier acknowledges that systemic change is slow, particularly when dealing with government policies. However, he remains committed to advocating for Indigenous-led solutions, believing that true healing must come from within the community. “I thought I could change the world when I started in justice work,” he says. “But real change takes time and persistence. I don’t stop believing.”
Through partnerships with correctional programs like Work to Give, which enables incarcerated individuals to contribute to community projects, Wiikwemkoong is already taking practical steps toward reintegration. Inmates have been building tiny homes, garden structures and floating docks, reinforcing the idea that rehabilitation must involve meaningful contributions.
As Wiikwemkoong moves forward with its plans, the focus remains on creating solutions that address the root causes of incarceration, homelessness and substance use to create meaningful movement for Indigenous self-determination and justice reform.
For Mr. Peltier, this work is about ensuring that “no one is forgotten.” It is about reclaiming traditional ways of healing and offering those who have been failed by the system a chance to find their place in the circle once again.
