72-hour detention facility now open for people high on methamphetamine and other drugs in Winnipeg

The new 72-hour detention centre in Winnipeg is now accepting people high on methamphetamine, Premier Wab Kinew announced Wednesday.

A detention facility in Winnipeg for intoxicated people that can hold them for up to three days involuntarily is now open for people impaired by substances other than alcohol.

Premier Wab Kinew confirmed the facility’s intake opening during a news conference Wednesday at the Manitoba legislature.

“This is a commitment we made to you to help keep our communities safer,” Kinew said.

In 2025, the NDP government passed legislation to change the length of time highly intoxicated people can be detained for from 24 hours to 72 hours. The province cited increased methamphetamine use and addiction and its impact on public safety as a reason for the change.

The centre on Disraeli Road has previously opened in December 2025 and took people dealing with severe alcohol intoxication while it awaited approval from medical professionals to accept people with drug intoxication. Kinew said since it opened, the facility has been “nearly full” every day.

Kinew said people showing symptoms of meth intoxication would be assessed by an ER doctor and transported to the facility by police, and would be under supervision of health experts, with the goal of helping people access addiction treatment. The bill also requires the person impaired on substances to be seen by a health professional after 24 and 48 hours.

Kinew called the opening of the centre a “long-overdue step.”

“I think people have been talking about this for years,” he said. “We all see what’s going on in our streets with meth. Today, we have that facility to be able to hold people until they’re not going to be a danger to other people, or to themselves.”

In a statement, Manitoba Progressive Conservatives deputy leader Jeff Bereza, deputy leader said the party supports initiatives that genuinely help people access treatment but said detox alone, particularly a short-term 72-hour model, is not a solution for methamphetamine addiction.

“Meth addiction is complex. It is not typically resolved in three days,” Bereza wrote. “Without immediate access to longer-term treatment, recovery supports and safe housing, many individuals cycle right back into crisis placing further strain on emergency rooms, law enforcement, and families.”

Bereza said the Kinew government needs to increase access to recovery treatment spaces and psychiatric beds and ensure health-care workers and law enforcement officers have proper resources to manage people struggling with addiction.

“If the government is expanding detox capacity, it must be part of a comprehensive, evidence-based continuum of care,” he wrote. “That means clear admission criteria, medically appropriate treatment timelines, access to psychiatric supports, and guaranteed pathways into longer-term recovery programs. We believe detox must connect directly to long-term recovery.”

-With files from The Canadian Press