A prominent drug addiction treatment facility based in Surrey and Langley is facing imminent government-ordered closure, after accusations that the residents had their mail opened, were banned from speaking to members of the opposite sex, and that one person was gored by a water buffalo.
The John Volken Academy (JVA), a residential treatment facility based in Surrey, could be shut down as soon as March 7, following a Jan. 2 decision by the Community Care and Assisted Living appeal board.
The board refused to grant a stay that would let JVA stay open while it appeals the shutdown order.
A July 11, 2024, decision by Ross Hayward, an assistant deputy minister in the ministry of health, lays out allegations and concerns that led to the government revoking JVA's registration to operate.
Hayward's letter goes through a number of issues that had been raised between provincial authorities and JVA over two years starting in 2022.
He noted the presence of alleged "speaking bans," which included residents being "strongly encouraged" not to talk to anyone of the opposite sex or with anyone not a member of their "family group" in the facilities.
"One resident faced an 'encounter session' for saying 'good morning' to a member of the opposite sex at breakfast," Hayward wrote.
He also objected to the amount of unpaid labour the program allegedly required from its residents. While work experience is a common part of residential drug and alcohol treatment programs, Hayward wrote that all residents, regardless of their health or fitness, were required to do unpaid work for JVA businesses a minimum of six days a week, eight hours a day, with additional hours sometimes bringing their weekly total to 56 hours a week.
"Registry staff were informed that if a resident does not fulfill additional periods of work requirements imposed by JVA, they will not receive a completion certificate from JVA stating that they have completed the required years of work," Hayward wrote. That would leave them with no proof of their work experience after two years.
The work was also strenuous and physical, either for John Volken Academy Moving, a moving company based in Surrey, at the now-closed Volken Market and Furniture Store, or at the Volken Academy Farm, which raises bison and water buffalo in Langley.
"One resident interviewed in October 2023 stated, 'there is no recovery going on here, and all we do is work,'" Hayward wrote.
The letter also listed a string of injuries allegedly suffered by workers at the three JVA-affiliated businesses, including a number of cuts requiring stitches, and a resident who crushed a finger, fracturing one bone, while moving furniture.
The two most serious injuries were linked to the Langley farm, where one resident fell from a ladder and broke their hip, and another was "charged and gored by a water buffalo while working on the farm; the resident required stitches," the letter said.
Hayward also noted that because the work is unpaid volunteer labour, none of the residents are covered by WorkSafe BC if they are injured.
He also alleged that residents work so much that they are too exhausted for other programs or recreation after work.
"During interviews, it was reported that the primary focus of the JVA is about making a profit and increasing sales, described by one interviewee as a 'focus on making the business more profitable. The whole vibe is hurry up. Not about recovery'," Hayward's letter said.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
John Volken Academy's manager Andrea Chambers was asked about several of the allegations, including the speaking bans and long working hours of residents.
"These factual matters are the subject of ongoing litigation, and I cannot comment further on them given our upcoming appeal," the Academy's response said.
Counsel for JVA acknowledged during a recent hearing, asking for a stay of the shutdown order, that the facility had admitted a dozen more residents after regulators had told them to halt all new admissions.
However, it argued that there were no health and safety risks to residents, and that shutting the facility down "would result in greater risk to the health and safety of residents" than keeping the facility open. They also argued that they were otherwise in compliance with provincial regulations.
The charity is appealing the shutdown order.
"JVA has exercised its right to appeal the decision of the Registrar under S. 29 of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act," said a response from the JVA. "That appeal is heard by the Community Care and Assisted Living appeal board, not the courts."
A nine-day appeal hearing is scheduled to start on May 5, but that's two months after the facility has been ordered to close.
The most recent ruling puts a hard deadline of 5 p.m. on Friday, March 7, to shut down.
After that deadline, residents will have to find somewhere else to live or other programs to take them in.
"The health and safety of John Volken鈥檚 residents is our top priority," Chambers said via email. "We have been working diligently with them to identify alternate safe accommodations for each and every resident. JVA keeps the personal information of its residents confidential and cannot comment further on individuals鈥� plans."
The Ministry of Health, which oversees drug and alcohol recovery facilities, confirmed that current residents have been given notice that they will not be able to remain after March 7.
"Between now and March 7, 2025, the John Volken Academy will take reasonable steps to locate alternate safe accommodations for each resident, pursuant the Community Care and Assisted Living appeal board鈥檚 order," the ministry statement said.
"We empathize with those who have been residing at the John Volken Academy, especially as they navigate this difficult time on their journeys to recover from substance use and to repair their lives."
The statement also noted that the facility was not publicly funded, and its closure will not impact the availability of publicly funded substance use beds in B.C.
John Volken Academy is one of the charities started by businessman John Volken after he sold his United Furniture Warehouse chain in 2004.
The JVA has three main sites, including the one in Surrey and two in the United States, in Arizona and Washington State.
All three operate on similar principles, with residents here in B.C. paying $5,000 for a two-year residential program, which includes room and board, and work at one of the JVA's businesses.
Those businesses include the John Volken Academy Farm in Langley, which raises water buffalo and bison, producing meat, cheese, yogurt, and buffalo milk.
The farm started in 2018, and expanded through the years. By 2023, it had an on-site farm market and was offering paid tours to visitors, and plans were afoot to add a pig barn, hobby barn, and possibly a restaurant.
In Surrey, JVA operates John Volken Academy Movers, which does household and commercial moving.
Until last year, the society also operated Volken's Market and Furniture Store, directly adjacent to the main Surrey residence. That building was sold in 2024.
All three businesses were operated on the "social enterprise" model, with profits going back to JVA, as well as to the John Volken Foundation's other major charity, Lift the Children, which is focused on helping orphans and impoverished children in Africa.
It is unclear what will happen to the moving company and farm when the John Volken Academy shuts down.
