Rally at Manitoba Legislature calls for safe injection sites to combat overdose deaths, rising rates of HIV

Dozens of people rallied in front of the Manitoba Legislature on Thursday to advocate for safe injection sites, which they say could prevent rising rates of HIV and deaths from toxic drugs in the province.

Some people at the rally carried signs that read "Safe Supply Saves Lives" and "Let's Get Tested." An RV containing Sunshine House's mobile overdose prevention site was also in front of the legislative building.

Jacob Kaufman, a recovering heroin addict who attended the rally, said he's lost several people in his life in the last two years.

"99 per cent of them have died to toxic drug supply," he said.

Kaufman says he's noticed an increase of opioid use in Manitoba over the last five years. 

A non-toxic drug supply and safe injection sites are "the only way that people are going to stop dying," he said.

The provincial government must also address a spike in HIV cases, especially among Indigenous people, organizer Albert McLeod of 2Spirit Consultants said.

"We need a cross-system response that is equitably funded to support people to get the services they need," he told the media after the rally.

The Manitoba HIV Program's 2018-2021 report showed a sharp increase in HIV rates over the past four years in the province. The number of people newly diagnosed with HIV and living in Manitoba increased from 111 in 2018 to 169 in 2021 — an increase of 52 per cent.

HIV acquisition is even more of an alarming issue among Indigenous people, with 73.4 per cent of people referred to the Manitoba HIV Program in 2021 self-identifying as Indigenous, the report said.

"It's not the fault of the community, it's the fault of governments who have continually underfunded Indigenous services for generations," said McLeod.

The number of all people diagnosed with the virus and referred to the program who self-reported injection drug use also rose between 2018 to 2021, from 36.9 per cent to 51.5 per cent, the report said.

"We know harm reduction saves lives," Opposition health critic Uzoma Asagwara said at the rally.

"I'm sorry that you have to be here today, on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature, fighting for basic human rights [and] basic health-care needs to be addressed."

The director of a provincial health coalition said the Manitoba government has been attacking harm reduction efforts through legislation such as Bill 33, which would govern supervised drug consumption sites and some other addictions centres.

"It's very disheartening when you're trying to move forward harm reduction efforts that can save lives, when you have a provincial government that is making up stories about fictitious supervised consumption sites in other jurisdictions," Manitoba Health Coalition director Thomas Linner said at the rally.

"We really need to put that fear-based rhetoric aside and start focusing on what can actually save lives."

He said the toxic drug supply is a public health emergency that costs the province money every day.

"If we invest some of that money upfront, we're going to have a health-care system that works better for all of us."