Drug site bid made on day consults were set

Health Canada has confirmed it received an application for a supervised drug consumption site on Henry Avenue in Winnipeg, which is dated Dec. 5 — the same day the Manitoba government invited community members to weigh in on the plan for the proposed facility.

The Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg applied for the site under Health Canada’s “urgent public health need” stream, federal spokesperson Karine LeBlanc said in an email Tuesday.

The “urgent” stream allows the centre to establish a site more quickly to address the addictions crisis, said Emily Coutts, Manitoba’s principal cabinet secretary.

“The need is urgent. Manitoba lost 570 people to overdose in 2024 and 232 in the first six months of 2025,” she said.

To legally operate an “urgent” site, a federal exemption under the Canadian Drugs and Substances Act is required. The Indigenous organization’s application is currently under review, but LeBlanc couldn’t say how long that will take.

Applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the processing time depends on the completeness, clarity, and complexity of the information submitted, as well as how quickly the applicant provides additional information requested by Health Canada, LeBlanc said.

The NDP has said for years that a site is urgently needed to save lives at risk owing to the toxic drug crisis. After forming government in late 2023, the NDP set aside $727,000 to support the development of the first Indigenous-led supervised consumption site, which was supposed to be up and running in 2025. The plan to open a site at 190 Disraeli Fwy. was nixed after community members complained it was too close to a school.

On Dec. 5, a new location at 366 Henry Ave. was proposed and area businesses and neighbours were invited to community consultations the following week.

“The need is urgent. Manitoba lost 570 people to overdose in 2024 and 232 in the first six months of 2025.”

The vacant building, which has an assessed value of just over $1 million, was recently purchased by the provincial government. It’s two blocks west of Princess Street and near a cluster of shelters or services for people who are addicted to drugs, homeless or have mental health issues.

Owners of nearby businesses expressed concern about the new site and the short notice.

“It’s outrageous, in my opinion, that they’re doing this without knowing what the consequences might be,” Master Roofing owner Ed Gallos said Tuesday. He took part in consultations that began Dec. 9. On Tuesday, he questioned why they weren’t held before the application for the site was submitted Dec. 5.

“I think they’re just trying to pull the (wool) over our eyes,” the Lizzie Street business owner said.

Gallos recalled a police officer at one of the consultation sessions being asked whether the site would make the community safer, and their response was “I don’t know.”

“If somebody’s willing to admit they don’t know what the results are going to be, or have some good idea of what the consequences are of one of these places, why would you even go ahead and think about it?” Gallos asked.

“I think they’re just trying to pull the (wool) over our eyes.”

“They’re not planning for consequences. There appears to be little planning at all other than to open this place up and allow people to shove needles in their arms.”

The issue of safety was raised during consultations with the community, Coutts said, noting there is a “partnership” with the Winnipeg Police Service and Downtown Community Safety Partnership.

“We’ve taken note of the feedback shared by community members in our consultations,” Coutts said.

The plan for the facility, including how services are delivered and how the site operates, “is up to the operator,” she said.

Della Herrera, the executive director of the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, did not respond to interview requests Tuesday.

On July 12, 2024, the Indigenous organization that’s headquartered on Higgins Avenue announced that the province’s first supervised consumption site would open in 2025.

“They’re not planning for consequences. There appears to be little planning at all other than to open this place up and allow people to shove needles in their arms.”

“The long-awaited and desperately needed announcement for this health site was met with enthusiastic support and has taken — and will continue to take — an all heads, all hearts, all-hands approach,” the centre posted at the time on its website.

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That day, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith pledged $727,000 to support the development of the supervised consumption site.

“Our government is proud to help establish the first Indigenous-led supervised consumption site with connections to health and social supports including addictions services,” said Smith.

“We know that a service model grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, world views and perspectives is needed, and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre is well-positioned to ensure community needs are centred.”

Gallos said he’s concerned the site won’t help people suffering from addiction and may hurt property values. He’s checking to see whether he can take legal action.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter

Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.

Every piece of reporting Carol 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.