Progress on improving addictions help lagging: auditor general

The province has acted on only 20 per cent of the recommendations made three years ago on how to improve access to addictions services, says a report released by Manitoba’s auditor general Thursday.

Tyson Shtykalo had issued 15 recommendations to the government and Shared Health in 2023 to help Manitobans get the addictions help when they need it. His progress report said that as of Sept. 30, 2025, just three of the 15 recommendations had been acted upon while 12 remain a “work in progress.”

“‘Work in progress’ is not an acceptable response when Manitobans are dying due to the addictions crisis,” said Jason Linklater, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals. It represents more than 100 addictions workers, counsellors, clinicians and others who provide care, treatment and support for Manitobans living with addictions.

“Significant barriers to access have not been addressed,” Linklater said in a statement Thursday.

Shtykalo’s recommendations were in response to the deadly and growing addictions crisis in Manitoba.

“Addictions have devastating impacts on individuals directly affected, as well as those around them,” Shtykalo’s progress report says.

“There were 400 confirmed substance-related fatalities in Manitoba in 2021 compared to 335 and 151 in the previous two years. We wanted to see whether Manitobans had access to appropriate addictions treatment services when they needed them.”

One recommendation that was implemented was the move by Shared Health to co-ordinate learning opportunities and conferences for employees from service delivery organizations and government-funded non-profit providers who provide addictions treatment.

The second recommendation that was fulfilled was to collect data to determine demand for services — including withdrawal management, in-house treatment, community-based services and supportive recovery housing — as well as analysis of the data and comparing the demand to the actual capacity with investment priorities based on the results.

The final recommendation that was completed was to implement a central data collection process for all government-funded treatment services and to define clear roles and responsibilities for collecting data with regular reporting.

Although the government has data on demand for addictions treatment and an analysis of demand compared to current capacity, neither that data nor the analysis has been made public, says the union that represents addictions treatment professionals.

Wait-time targets and reporting are “non-existent” while staffing shortages persist for residential treatment, community-based counselling, after-care and other options, Linklater said.

“No standards for addictions treatment are in place and the list of failures goes on,” he said.

“Government and Shared Health must take immediate action to address all of the (auditor general’s) recommendations, and they must make sure adequate staffing and other resources are in place to do it.”

Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith was not available to comment Thursday. Her office released a short email statement in the evening that blamed the former PC government for “refusing to invest in addictions treatment.”

The statement went on to say the government takes the recommendations seriously and has promised to create 1,200 more treatment spaces and launch a program for rural residents to access RAAM clinics.

The Progressive Conservative critic said the government is focused on opening a supervised drug consumption site rather than providing treatment.

“This NDP government has ignored the treatment and recovery side of the addictions issue while they pursue this ill-advised drug injection site,” said Jeff Bereza.

“(Premier) Wab Kinew and the NDP would rather keep Manitobans suspended in the cycle of addiction, rather than investing in proper staffing for residential treatment and community-based counselling, after-care and recovery-care support and the wrap-around services Manitobans need when they are recovering from addiction,” Bereza said in a statement.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca