Supervised drug consumption site promised for Manitoba

New minister commits to safe consumption site Manitoba could soon have a supervised drug consumption site after a promise from the new addictions minister. Jeff Keele reports.

Manitoba could soon have its first official supervised drug consumption site – a move advocates say can save lives in a province dealing with a toxic drug supply and accidental overdoses.

On Wednesday, the province's newly minted Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said the new government is committed to opening a safe consumption site.

"We're committed to opening one up. We saw over 400 deaths last year and we don't want to see those rise," Smith said, adding she has been in talks with front-line organizations.

A supervised drug consumption site is something advocates say is needed in Manitoba.

"We're not in a good place," said Jamil Mahmood, the executive director of the Main Street Project.

"The drug supply is toxic. We need solutions."

Last year alone, there were 418 drug-related deaths in Manitoba. As of May of this year, there had already been 175 deaths.

The Main Street Project and other organizations that help vulnerable people, like those experiencing homelessness and addictions, have long lobbied for a supervised drug consumption site also known as a safe injection site.

The sites have staff on hand to help prevent accidental overdoses.

The previous Progressive Conservative government rejected the idea, instead focusing on a recovery and treatment model.

"Treatment's great and is a goal to make sure people have the services when they need them, but they need to be alive to access them as well," Mahmood said.

One of the organizations Smith has been in talks with is Winnipeg's Sunshine House, which has been operating a mobile RV providing clean needles, drug testing kits and a safer environment for people to use substances.

"We're certainly in talks with some of those folks and looking at those models," Smith said.

As for where and when the site will be, that remains unclear. Smith could not put any timelines on when the site could be established.

Mahmood said the people who will use the sites need to be consulted on the space and location. He is hopeful a site will be set up because he says unsupervised sites already exist.

"Every drop-in centre, every public washroom, back alley is a consumption site," Mahmood said.