Minister on hot seat over supervised drug site

Manitoba’s addictions minister told a public meeting that a final decision hasn’t been made about a location for a supervised injection site, despite a pending application with the federal government involving a Point Douglas proposal.

Bernadette Smith addressed upwards of 80 people at a community-led town hall Tuesday evening to discuss the province’s first injection site.

“We are still looking at sites,” Smith said. “We are still taking feedback from the community.”

On Nov. 21, 2024, the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre — which was tapped to lead the site’s day-to-day operations — applied to exempt 200 Disraeli Fwy. from Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Since then, 200 Disraeli has been seen as the proposed site’s home. The application is pending; Health Canada is “awaiting key information” before making a decision, a government web page shows.

It’s important to open the centre near where people consume drugs, Smith said: “This is about connecting people to services.”

Residents of Point Douglas and the Exchange District crowded into Ashdown Market for the town hall, and raised concerns and questions about safety, drug use and recovery. The Point Douglas Residents Committee spread word about the event alongside other community members. At previous meetings about the site, run by the government, the media wasn’t allowed inside the venue.

Amy Robinson, a member of the committee, said people didn’t feel their questions were answered during the government-led consultations earlier in the year.

“I don’t see how someone can really be for or against (this site) if we don’t have the full picture,” Robinson said.

Smith answered questions, as did Winnipeg Police Service members. Police Chief Gene Bowers and a handful of top WPS personnel were in attendance.

The centre will include a RAAM clinic, primary health care and mental health services. Staff will help attendees with their housing and income assistance needs, Smith said.

She stressed enforcement — getting people who sell toxic drugs off the street — will be part of the package. It’ll be a Manitoba-made approach that differs from other provinces, she promised.

Petitions calling for the cancellation of a 200 Disraeli Fwy. injection site lined a table near the front.

Kevin Lynden, a Point Douglas resident, expressed vehement opposition to the site before the meeting.

“The crime is bad enough in our end of town,” Lynden said. “Our property values are gonna drop. I don’t like thinking about it.”

Other attendees, including Joseph Fourre — creator of the “No Thanks, I’m Good” campaign and a drug-free advocate — called for a project that does it right “from the start.” Fourre, a former addict, said he saw drug dealers set up dens near the injection site he went to in Edmonton.

People will use drugs inside Manitoba’s injection site and be connected to supports, Smith said.

Winnipeg police and Downtown Community Safety Partnership are part of the plan, she said in January.

People in the crowd called for a database to ensure people accessing the injection site weren’t dying once they left campus; they said there must be an emphasis on Indigenous culture at the centre; as well as a focus on safe supply and increased beds for detox and recovery.

City councillors Ross Eadie and Vivian Santos were in the crowd, as was MLA Carrie Hiebert, the Progressive Conservative addictions critic.

“Why is Manitoba now starting to open up an addiction site when we have seen them across the country being closed?” Hiebert asked.

She told the Free Press the money proposed for Manitoba’s injection site would be better spent on recovery beds.

Malcolm Cook, a developer who said he had helped with an injection site in Vancouver, attended the town hall and was open to sharing his experience.

Winnipeg has many siloed support services, he said, adding it would be beneficial to bring them together.

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“There’s a lot of discrepancies, a lot of fear,” Cook said about injection sites. “I’m trying to break down those barriers.”

A supervised consumption site was one of the NDP’s 2023 election promises. Last July, the New Democrats tabbed $727,000 to create a site.

Manitoba had 307 substance-related deaths in the first half of 2024. The provincial chief medical examiner reported 568 such deaths in 2023.

Hospitals across the province recorded 2,517 substance-related admissions during the first half of 2024. The overall number in 2023 was 4,898.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.