Drug consumption site full opening delayed till August

Winnipeg’s first supervised drug consumption site will not fully open until August.

In a joint statement released Friday, the Manitoba government and Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, which will operate the Indigenous-led site, said the facility at 366 Henry Ave. will instead open gradually over the coming weeks.

A government official was not made available by the province, which is under a media blackout because of next month’s byelection.

The phased rollout began Friday when staff from Sunshine House’s Mobile Overdose Prevention Site were to begin training employees at the new facility.

Supervised consumption site staff will work alongside MOPS to gain experience from workers who have extensive expertise responding to overdoses in the community.

“Ensuring the supervised consumption site and its staff are fully prepared to operate safely and provide Manitobans the support they need is our No. 1 priority,” the joint statement provided to the Free Press said.

The graduated opening will continue throughout July, although the statement didn’t elaborate.

“And we fully anticipate a full opening in August,” the statement said.

“We’re taking this approach so that every Manitoban that comes through those doors gets the help they need in a safe, secure environment.”

As of Friday, the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre was still advertising several positions for the site, including multiple nursing roles and a mental health crisis counsellor.

Once fully operational, the supervised consumption site is expected to operate Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Earlier this week, the province announced nearly $7 million in new funding to help address the city’s overdose crisis.

About one-third is earmarked for Siloam Mission to maintain 100 drop-in spaces at its overnight shelter and drop-in centre until March 2027 — something outreach providers had petitioned the province to do.

The province is tapping Red Response Team to patrol overdose hot spots across the city. Workers with lived experience are expected to connect people with supports and intervene before emergencies turn fatal.

Previously, the province had announced more than $1 million, including $802,000 to support a two-person, pilot mobile overdose response team from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca