Former chief psychiatrist legally challenges Manitoba’s detox detention laws

Manitoba’s former chief psychiatrist is challenging the constitutionality of a controversial law allowing the province to incarcerate intoxicated people for up to 72 hours, claiming that it will harm those suffering from mental illness or disabilities.

Dr. Jim Simm, an outspoken critic of the Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act, said in an exclusive interview on Sunday that he is seeking leave from the Court of King’s Bench to challenge the law violates provisions of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“We’re talking about human beings who are suffering,” Simm said. “They may be acting badly but to be putting them in solitary confinement — it’s just wrong.”

As it stands now, the legislation allows someone who appears intoxicated to be held for 24 hours at a “detention location,” and then held for up to 72 additional hours at a “preventative care centre.”

Supervised drug consumption site will be grounded in culture, compassion: facility’s leader

Winnipeg’s first supervised consumption site is being designed as a culturally grounded health space where people struggling with addiction will be met with familiarity, dignity and support from the moment they enter.

Meet neffy: Health Canada approves epinephrine nasal spray for anaphylaxis

TORONTO - Health Canada has approved the first needle-free epinephrine treatment for severe allergic reactions: a nasal spray called neffy.

ALK Canada, which purchased the rights to distribute the drug, says the two-milligram treatment could be on the market as soon as this summer.

The drug was approved for adults and pediatric patients who weigh at least 30 kilograms, which is roughly 66 pounds. A one-milligram dose has been approved in the United States for kids between 15 and 30 kilograms, but not in Canada.

As it stands, epinephrine auto-injectors — a single-use pre-filled device known by the brand name EpiPen — are the only emergency treatment option available for allergic reactions.

‘Desperately missed’ victims honoured as B.C. marks 10 years of toxic drug emergency

VICTORIA -

Paula Beardy said her grandson Sheldon Beardy was a good kid.

He would have turned 28 on Monday. But his mother died last year, and after attending her memorial service in August, Sheldon also died of a drug overdose.

Paula Beardy said Sheldon used to stay with her a lot and she misses his happy smile.

Manitoba students’ science projects aimed at eye health, wildfire prevention take top marks

More than 350 students in grades 4 to 12 took part in MSSS, the province’s largest annual science event, at the University of Manitoba.

‘Furry face to greet them:’ How facility dogs help victims navigate Manitoba’s court system

WINNIPEG - Tucked in a quiet corner on the fourth floor of Winnipeg's law courts building is a spacious room filled with vibrant toys, children's books and leather couches.

It’s a stark contrast to the cold marble and ornate, wooden fixtures that make up the rest of the building.

It's where four-legged Glossy spends a lot of her working days comforting children going through the judicial system.

The five-year-old Labrador retriever with milk chocolate-coloured eyes and a shiny black coat to match her name, is one of two accredited facility dogs that support victims of crime or their families by lending a sympathetic paw.

U of M researchers recommend better chlamydia screening after analysis of Prairie infection rates

Researchers at the University of Manitoba are recommending improved chlamydia screening and wider data collection after a study analyzed significant spikes in reported infection rates.

West Broadway drop-in offers supports, programs, safety for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

West Broadway has become home to the first drop-in centre in the city to support people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Home care assessment wait times stagnate

Wait times to be assessed for home care in Winnipeg haven’t improved in five years, including since the pandemic, when services were stretched to the limit.

In addition, as the population ages, hiring key home-care staff hasn’t kept pace, unions say.

Roughly half of people seeking home care through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority waited 16 days or longer in 2025.

In 2021, that number — the midway point between the longest and shortest wait times — was 14 days, data obtained via a freedom of information request show.

Federal government taking over vaccine injury compensation, aims to address backlog

OTTAWA - The federal public health agency is taking over administration of a program that compensates people who have been injured by vaccines, and pledging to review claims that were refused by a third-party administrator for being filed too late.

The vaccine injury support program began accepting claims in June 2021, after the widespread rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Canada.

People who experienced a "serious and permanent injury" as a result of receiving a vaccine authorized by Health Canada after Dec. 8, 2020, are eligible to make a claim.

It's also been the subject of complaints from claimants who say the process is slow and communication is poor.

Harmony Aesthetics banks on cryogenic storage, preservation, future utilization of hair follicle stem cells

Staff members at Harmony Aesthetics invite you to put yourself on ice.

The boutique clinic in Winnipeg’s Charleswood neighbourhood, which specializes in skincare and aesthetic treatments, now offers stem cell banking. Clients who have their stem cells collected can use them for skincare treatments at the clinic and keep them preserved for future cell-based treatments.

Brian Foster and Rukhsana Foster, the husband-and-wife duo who lead Harmony, say they’re the first clinic in Manitoba to offer this form of stem cell banking. They partnered with Acorn Biolabs, a bio-technology company in Toronto, to offer the service.

“It’s so exciting to me to have your stem cells on file permanently, cryogenically preserved … because I will never be younger and healthier than I was yesterday,” said Brian Foster. “So having that yesterday version of me on file can be incredibly beneficial in the future when new technologies are developed.”

NDP bolsters autism support amid families’ demands

The Manitoba government will include $30 million in Tuesday’s budget to address the demand for autism services, after families have demanded more help.

St.Amant, a non-profit that supports people with developmental disabilities and autism, will receive some funding, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said Monday.

“It’s going to address some of the wait lists they have,” she said, adding it will “bolster their autism-specific supports.”

More medical professionals may be able to meaningfully diagnose autism, Fontaine said.

Parents warned about measles risk over spring break, religious celebrations

Manitoba Health is urging parents to consider the risk of measles while travelling or attending large gatherings over spring break or upcoming holidays, in a bid to slow down Canada’s worst active outbreak.

Black people in Canada less likely to fill medication prescriptions due to cost, study says

TORONTO - A new study says the cost of medication is stopping Black people in Canada from filling their prescriptions at a higher rate than white people.

The research published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that Black people are less likely to have drug plans to cover the cost.

Senior author Bukola Salami says the findings show the consequences of socioeconomic inequalities for Black people's health.

The researchers analyzed data from five years of the Canadian Community Health Survey and found that about 10 to 15 per cent of Black adults hadn't filled their prescriptions or had skipped doses, compared to about six per cent of white adults.

Proactive planning for a future with more seniors

They’re supposed to be “the golden years.” But for many Manitobans in the ever-expanding 65-plus age bracket, life is anything but a warm and gentle journey toward a tranquil, glowing sunset.

Alberta government moves to drastically reduce access to medically assisted dying

EDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government took steps Wednesday to drastically restrict who's eligible for medical assistance in dying.

Smith’s United Conservative Party government introduced a bill that, if passed, would limit medical assistance in dying, better known as MAID, to those likely to die of natural causes within a year.

Those under 18 would still be prohibited regardless of condition, in line with current federal rules.

But Smith said Ottawa's framework is largely missing the mark.

Government votes down autism strategy bill proposed by Liberal MLA

Mark Jackson paused as he questioned when his daughter got her autism diagnosis — maybe one year, maybe two, from the first doctor referral.

“The wait times are not great,” he said.

He joined about two dozen people at the legislature Tuesday to show support for an autism strategy, as proposed by Liberal Cindy Lamoureux in a private member’s bill that was introduced Monday.

The strategy would make wait times for diagnosis and supports for autistic people and their families as top priorities.

Endometriosis painful, lack of research shameful

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes debilitating pain, heavy bleeding, extreme fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms. It affects one in 10 women. I am one of them.

Lower colorectal cancer screening age to 45 from 50, Canadian Cancer Society urges

TORONTO - Michael Groves thought he had appendicitis.

In January 2021, he went to the emergency department with abdominal pains, but after testing, medical staff ruled it out and he went home.

A couple of days later, Groves, who lives in Ottawa, saw blood in his stool, so he told his family doctor.

Both the pain and bleeding stopped, but his doctor decided to schedule the 49-year-old for a colonoscopy for that April to be on the safe side.

Five examples of representation in recognition of International Women’s Day

To mark International Women’s Day on Sunday, the Free Press is spotlighting five Manitobans doing impactful work in sports.

Alyssa White — para hockey athleteWhite was 14 when she made the Canadian women’s para hockey squad.

“It’s kind of wild still to me to think about because I had only started playing hockey a year prior to that,” said the now 20-year-old.

Wounded wombs: Indigenous women who were involuntarily sterilized still grieving their losses

Grace Whiteway is still haunted by memories of feeling helpless and alone, even 30 years later.

As the delivery of her fifth child neared, she had already spent a month in Winnipeg, separated from her family in remote Berens River First Nation.

She remembers being exhausted and barely awake after the birth of her daughter when a nurse placed a piece of paper in front of her and told her to sign it.

The decision fills Whiteway with regret. She had always wanted a big family, but the document she signed in her vulnerable state gave permission for her fallopian tubes to be tied — an irreversible surgical procedure that renders a woman sterile.

Temporary supervised drug consumption site could open within weeks, addictions minister says

Facility is initially expected to be run out of a mobile home or trailer parked at Henry Avenue warehouse provincial government purchased for a permanent facility