Advocates for other people suffering from addiction and homelessness have celebrated the Manitoba NDP government’s plan to open a supervised intake site in Winnipeg until next year, saying it will save lives and others on the road to recovery.
The 2024 budget includes $2. 5 million for a supervised intake site, which will supply sterilized needles and other intake equipment, with staff available to assist in the event of an overdose and connect patrons to services.
The NDP has promised to open the province’s first supervised intake in Winnipeg, which would be under the mandate of Minister for Housing, Addiction and Homelessness Bernadette Smith.
But the government wants to use the next year to consult with network teams on the site’s location and the necessary supports and systems, Prime Minister Wab Kinew said on Tuesday.
Creating supervised intake is “a vital step and we want to take the time to get it right,” Kinew said.
“We’re going to take the time to communicate with the community, communicate with the experts, to set up this new facility on the road. “
The location of the site has not yet been chosen, but Kinew said they are somewhere at the north end of Main Street.
“We know there will be effects in the neighborhood, anywhere it’s possible. So we need to figure out how to mitigate that. We need network buy-in. “
The province is a proposal by an indigenous-led consortium to identify the site, Kinew said. This organization is led through the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre and includes network partners Sunshine House, Ka Ni Kanichihk, Manitoba Harm Reduction Network and Main Street Project. and substance consulting.
Kim Bailey, director of prevention, testing and wellness at Nine Circles Community Health Center, called the day “a day in Manitoba,” but added that she would like to see the service expanded to more areas.
“We hope this is just the beginning of a provincial strategy that will provide a critical service to other neighbourhoods in Winnipeg and across the province,” he said.
Bailey also needs the province to take some other step toward harm relief by committing to a safer source: offering prescription drugs as an option to the source of poisonous drugs.
“A lot of work is being done in the country to show the benefits of a safer sourcing strategy. So we deserve to take a look at other jurisdictions to see what’s in this realm and move temporarily because this is a supply of poisonous drugs. it creates the overdose scenario that we have in Manitoba.
According to initial knowledge from the Manitoba Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 467 suspicious substance-related deaths in Manitoba in 2022, the number recorded. Preliminary data for 2023 shows that there have been 445 deaths, a figure that may rise.
When asked about the option of a more secure procurement program in Manitoba, Kinew said the Manitoba government is moving forward “step by step” and will stick to the results.
Manitoba is the last province west of Atlantic Canada that does not have a supervised intake system. For more than a year, Sunshine House has been operating a cellular overdose prevention system from an RV, the closest to a permanent one in Manitoba.
“We’re going to leave certain teams in the toolbox and use them for ideological reasons,” Kinew said at a press convention on Tuesday, alluding to the refusal of the past progressive Conservative government to approve a supervised admissions site.
The CP’s interim leader, Wayne Eko, said his government is “pushing for security. “
“We are prioritizing recovery. Manitobans are going to have a lot of questions. “
Other advocates, such as Jason Whitford, director of End Homegiving Winnipeg, welcomed the announcement.
“I think making an investment in a provincial strategy or in resources within the city is an indication that the government cares about other people on the streets who are wasting their lives and suffering from addictions,” he said.
Tessa Blaikie-Whitecloud, executive director of Siloam Mission, said her organization responds to drug poisonings on a basis.
“Supervised intake sites have been shown to reduce drug use overall and help others on their journey to recovery,” he said.
Journalist
Cameron MacLean is a journalist for CBC Manitoba and lives in Winnipeg, where he was born and raised. She has more than a decade of journalistic experience in the city and across Manitoba, covering a wide diversity of topics, including the courts, politics, housing, and the arts. , fitness and breaking news. Send story tips to cameron. maclean@cbc. ca.
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