Province contributes $1.5M to building ‘critically important’ women’s addiction treatment centre

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This article was published 15/04/2025 (187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 500 Manitobans died of drug overdoses last year, making it “critically important” to get a planned treatment facility for women open as soon as possible.

That was the message sportscaster and philanthropist Scott Oake delivered Tuesday at a news conference announcing the province’s $1.5-million contribution to help build and fund the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre, named for his late wife, who died of an autoimmune disease in 2021.

“For every day the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre is not up and running, women are dying and families are being torn apart,” he told the gathering at the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for men, named for his son, who battled addiction before his 2011 overdose death.

“It’s critically important we start as soon as humanly possible.”

The Bruce and Anne Oake Memorial Foundation launched a capital campaign last year to raise $25 million for construction of the women’s treatment facility. It passed the halfway point last September.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said Tuesday that $1 million of the province’s contribution will support capital construction costs for the 75,000-square-foot building.

The facility, which will be located behind Victoria General Hospital, is expected to have between 50 and 70 treatment beds and a licensed child-care facility.

“At last check, we were tracking for over 500 overdose deaths in Manitoba in the year 2024,” Oake said. “Simple math would say half of those are women. Those are just the ones we know about.”

Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported a record 530 “suspected substance-related deaths” in the first 11 months of 2024.

The widespread availability of fentanyl and other synthetic opioid drugs on the street has led to skyrocketing overdose numbers in the past decade. In 2015, a total of 182 fatal ODs were reported in the province. By 2022, the number had reached 467. It dropped slightly to 445 in 2023.

The final count for 2024 could be closer to 600, once the number of deaths in December are determined. The 530 deaths reported through November includes 198 females, the medical examiner reported.

Fontaine, who is also the minister responsible for women and gender equity, applauded the success of the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre that opened for men in 2021 on the former Vimy Arena site in Sturgeon Creek.

“Our team had the honour of visiting the centre and witnessing the incredible work being done, meeting the staff, hearing the stories and seeing first-hand the healing that is taking place,” she said.

“We spoke about the exciting vision for the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre, a space designed with the intention to meet the unique needs of women, and in particular, Indigenous women.”

Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said the remaining $500,000 of the contribution will be used for the development of tools, program materials and resources required for the new centre.

“It’s so important that when people are ready to seek treatment, to change their lives, that those supports are there — especially for our women,” Smith said.

“There’s been so many barriers put in place, especially when they have children, that they’re not able to access these supports.”

The lead outreach co-ordinator for Bruce Oake Recovery Centre, who describes herself as being in long-term recovery, said cultural ceremonies play a vital role.

“Engaging with our ceremonies has not only deepened my understanding of my identity, but also reinforced my commitment to passing these teachings on to my children,” said Crystal Dumas, a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

“I believe the Anne Oake Family Recovery Centre will ensure that women have the opportunity to heal, grow and build better futures for themselves and their families.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca