A plan is in the works to open a drug treatment centre for youth in the Capital, according to a report obtained by CTV News.

The proposed centre which will target youth between ages 13 and 17 has been put forward as a recommendation to the Ontario government.

Ottawa health officials say more than 350 young people needed overnight drug treatment last year, but only a fraction of those youth were able to get help.

"There's only Thunder Bay in Ontario for kids under 16. It's far too far. Kids don't want to be sent far away from home, parents want to visit their kids and participate in family oriented programs. They can't do that (now),"said Paul Welsh of Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services.

Recently, health consultant Glenn Barnes delivered a report to Dr. Robert Cushman, CEO of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network, that included a recommendation for an overnight youth treatment centre in Ottawa.

Plans for a drug treatment centre in Ottawa have been in the works for decades.

The new plan is to build the treatment centre in the rural outskirts of the city with an operating budget of no more than $4 million dollars per year.

Ottawa Police Chief Vern White is the latest to publicly champion a detox centre for youth.

"I can tell you, I spent the last two days of this weekend trying to access treatment for a young man in this city . . . and ended up having to drive them out of the city to Cornwall just to get them to a detox program," White said at a meeting in February.

The new centre will cost about $7 million to build and will hold 28 beds.

While the cost may seem steep, Welsh says choosing not to build the site would come at an even greater price tag.

"It's life or death. It's success or failure," said Welsh. "Brief residential treatment which is not supported by what we're calling assertive continuing care has a very, very low success rate."

The report on the treatment centre was partially funded by the Ontario government.

Now that a recommendation has been made, it's up to the provincial government to decide whether a treatment centre is the best solution for youth in the area.

With a report from CTV's John Hua