‘Fell through gaps’: Judge suggests better supports after Winnipeg overdose death

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This article was published 31/10/2025 (340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg judge is recommending improved addiction supports after examining the overdose death of a man living in a tent who had faced barriers in accessing treatment.

The inquest heard evidence earlier this year about the 2021 death of Lee Earnshaw, a 42-year-old father of four and commercial fisherman from British Columbia who struggled with opioid addiction. 

Earnshaw had tried to access publicly funded addiction treatment in Winnipeg in the months before he was found dead.

“It is abundantly clear the resources available to those requiring publicly funded addiction care are extremely limited when compared to the growing need. It is also clear the need for help comes at all times of the day or night,” provincial court Judge Tracey Lord wrote in a report released Friday. 

“Mr. Earnshaw encountered barriers and fell through gaps in his attempts to access treatment for his addiction to opioids.”

Court heard Earnshaw injured himself while fishing and was prescribed opioid medication. His use later turned into opioid dependence then addiction. 

He moved to Manitoba in 2017 to distance himself from a readily available supply of drugs in B.C., the report says. While in Winnipeg, he stayed at an encampment on the banks of the Seine River.

He was discovered dead in his tent on June 14, 2021. An autopsy determined he died of an accidental drug overdose, with fentanyl and methamphetamine found in his system. 

Earnshaw had earlier been in contact with various community groups that work with the unhoused to try and access treatment support and detox services. The report says he was turned away because of outdated abstinence requirements or a lack of available beds. 

Experts at walk-in clinics specializing in addiction treatment told the inquest that centres lacked capacity to provide services to everyone walking in.

The report notes hundreds of people were turned away between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.

It also says there was a dramatic increase in the number of opioid-related deaths in 2020 and 2021. There were 400 confirmed substance-related fatalities in Manitoba in 2021, compared to 335 and 151 in the previous two years. 

There have been some positive changes in the system since 2021, including increased operating hours, staffing and administrative support to track intake, but capacity issues continue, says the report. 

The inquest heard from workers in the field that there needs to be more intake workers, nurses and physicians to prescribe opioid replacement therapy, such as Suboxone or methadone. 

“The demand for (opioid replacement therapy) is rising dramatically in the community, the number of physicians who will administer it is not,” the judge says in the report.

Lord makes eight recommendations, including extended hours for addiction walk-in clinics and incentives for those in medical school to specialize in addiction treatment. 

The judge also suggests the provincial government cover addiction medication, expand access to withdrawal management beds and implement more flexible treatment options.

“The stigma attached to addiction pervades society and affects the attention and care that those suffering receive,” says Lord. 

“Addiction is an illness like any other and should be viewed as such by those funding the health-care system.”

Premier Wab Kinew said Friday more needs to be done to address the opioid crisis. 

“When you hear about a loss of life, all of us Manitobans want to extend condolences and understand what happened,” he said. 

Kinew said more addiction walk-in clinics are opening and investments are being made in recovery. A bill has also been introduced that would extend the maximum time someone can be involuntarily detained for being highly intoxicated on long-lasting drugs, such as methamphetamine, to 72 hours from the current 24 hours.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025. 

— With files from Steve Lambert