WINNIPEG – After lengthy delays, Manitoba’s first supervised safe consumption site is now open. The site was supposed to open in 2025, but pushback on the first chosen location in Winnipeg and other complications created a hold-up. The site is run by non-profit agency Aboriginal Health and Wellness in partnership with the province. It will provide drug testing and a space to use drugs, specifically injections with staff on hand. Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says this supervised consumption site provides primary care to those who need it. “It’s about making sure that people have access to health care in a safe way,” Asagwara said at a press conference. “They’re connected to doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and those who understand addictions medicine, so that they are as safe as possible and they can take that next step to detox.” Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham echoed Asagwara’s sentiment, saying his hope with this site is to people get the help they need. “Not only will people be using there but will be connected with the supports that they need,” Gillingham said. “Now there should be less use on public streets. I want to see our service parters that work with people struggling with addiction communicating to those individuals that ‘there is a space for you to use now.’” “My desire is that people that are going to use and need to use will go there and not be using on our streets,” he said. The site is located in Winnipeg’s inner city, just north of downtown, and will be operational from Tuesdays to Saturdays during the day. Jamil Mahmood says the site will help address the growing issues surrounding the toxic drug supply. “This is a step to make sure people can test their drugs, know what’s in them, get proper medical care, get supports to keep them alive… So, that’s a really important step,” said Mahmood who is the executive director of Winnipeg’s Main Street Project. “We’ve lost too many people in the last five or 10 years. We’ve seen the big spike in deaths. Every one of those people has a family, have people that care about them, so anything we can do to keep them alive and get them to that next day so they can get the support and help they need, is a major step.” Kelly Hughes says he hopes this site helps alleviate the growing poison drug problem. “Hopefully, if people are over here, it’s going to be a lot safer,” said Hughes, who has been living in the area for over a decade. “This is actually going to make things better because people are actually going to have a safe place to go and they’re not going to be next to your business or on your front steps.” Site opening garnering mixed reaction The site in central Winnipeg has been criticized by some business owners and residents concerned about security, while the Opposition Progressive Conservatives have said the government should focus on treatment. The government has said a supervised consumption site is needed to address the growing number of overdose deaths in the province and reduce the number of people openly using drugs. But not everyone is convinced this will change anything. Joe Valentim owns Four Seasons Auto Body just down the road from the site. He says he is appalled the city and the province allowed this site to open, and has heightened safety concerns for his business. “I worry for the safety, not just for me, but for my customers,” said Valentim, who has owned the auto body for nearly 50 years. “Everybody is going to be scared to walk here, everybody. So, what’s going to happen to my business and my people? It’s a family shop and I have my employees.” “If they want to take over, come and buy me out and then I can move someplace out of the city,” he said. Preliminary data from Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer indicates there were 388 substance-related deaths across the province in 2025. So far in 2026, there were 61 deaths in January and February alone. In June, cities including Ottawa, Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., closed safe consumption sites. Winnipegger Joseph Fourre is not in support of the opening and is shocked to see Manitoba move in the opposite direction from the rest of the country. He told CTV News he is a former crystal meth user and heroin addict but has been in recovery for seven years. He lived around consumption sites in other provinces for years and says he saw firsthand the impact on people struggling with addiction and the impact on the community these sites were in. “Look around right now, it’s peaceful, and once it gets established, you will see a hub starting to generate in regard to drug dealing,” he said. “These sites aren’t as productive as they hope to be in helping people gain recovery. I, myself was an addict at one time in my life and lived my life next to one of these sites. And I was anonymous.” “There are a lot of safety issues.”
