When compared with other high-income countries, Canada has some of the highest prevalence and frequency rates of substance use among youth. One of five Canadians will experience an addiction or mental health issue within a given year, and 70% of mental illnesses have their onset during adolescence. Canadians aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience addiction or mental health issues than any other age group. In order to address these issues early in life, young people experiencing severe addiction, mental health and behavioural issues may require intensive, long-term residential treatment. Pine River Institute provides such treatment to young people between the ages of 13 and 19 who face addiction issues, as well as behavioural and psycho-social
challenges (Mills & McNeill, 2014). PRI opened in 2006 and is the only program of its kind in Canada, offering a comprehensive suite of wilderness, residential, transition and aftercare treatment. This report focuses on the economic value of the health and behaviour outcomes for young people who have attended PRI since 2010, relative to the cost of service provision.