Proposed site for Winnipeg supervised consumption site in the city's core

The proposed location for the province's first supervised consumption site at 200 Disraeli Fwy. Uploaded Dec. 4, 2024. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

The province’s proposed supervised consumption site could soon be located along the Disraeli Freeway in Winnipeg.

According to Health Canada's application page, an application for the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre located at 200 Disraeli Fwy. was submitted on Nov. 21.

The application is currently in the screening stage, according to the website.

Asked about the location choice Wednesday, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said it's already a spot where community resources are available.

"That particular area in core Winnipeg, which is really close to my constituency of Union Station, has a number of agencies that deliver primary care, agencies that are Indigenous-led, a lot of services that are providing community-level, grassroots-level care every single day, at all hours of the day, for folks who need it," said Asagwara.

They pointed to the fact there is already infrastructure with health-care providers in the area.

"It's right in a part of the city where we know that there are some challenges around homelessness, severe and persistent, maybe substance use challenges around that. We know that there's community that exists there that really benefits from those services. And so, I do think it's important when you stand up a supervised consumption site, or any service, that it's meeting people where they're at."

If approved, the safe consumption site would share a building with N'Dinawemak – Our Relatives' Place, which is located at 190 Disraeli Fwy.

N'Dinawemak – Our Relatives' Place is a 24/7 low-barrier shelter that can provide short-term accommodations and supports for people to access housing.

When asked if there are concerns from people in the community about the location, Asagwara said residents have seemed open to this plan.

"They've been seeing these challenges for years, and what they want to see from their government is a compassionate, evidence-informed approach that brings primary care providers together, that brings experts to the community to meet people's needs."

Asagwara said the government is working to "stand this up as quickly as possible."

On Wednesday afternoon, Bernadette Smith, the Minister of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness, said this is an important project to keep people alive long enough to get them to treatment.

"This will lead people to primary health care, to addictions treatment, to mental health supports. We know that people are using substances because of trauma. So, this is going to lead them to the supports they need," said Smith.

She said this means less people will be using drugs on the street. According to the province's medical examiner, there have been 323 suspected drug-related deaths in Manitoba through the first seven months of 2024.

The province will be consulting with the Winnipeg School Division and surrounding community, Smith said, as well, there will be an increased police presence in the area and there are plans to put up an eight-foot fence around the area.

She said the site won't open until it is safe and secure.

According to Health Canada, to operate a supervised consumption site, an exemption must be granted first under section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

"A completed application must include key information related to policies and procedures, personnel, local conditions, community consultations and finances," Health Canada's website notes.