Consultations for Manitoba's 1st supervised drug consumption site underway
Thursday meeting with business community wasn't officially open to public, but about 20 people attended
The provincial government says consultations are underway in Winnipeg's Point Douglas neighbourhood on its proposed supervised drug consumption site.
Members of the business community from around the proposed location at 200 Disraeli Fwy. met Thursday with members the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, as well as representatives from Manitoba's ministry of housing, addictions and homelessness.
Although not invited, some community members showed up to the consultation at the Sport Manitoba building after a picture of a letter signed by the deputy minister circulated on social media.
About 20 people attended the meeting.
Sharon Johnson was among those community members, none of whom were turned away. Johnson, a 16-year resident in Point Douglas, said she's all for the proposed site.
"The opioid crisis and epidemic has been duly noted. We've just definitely noticed a huge rise in that," she said.
"It's really hard to go anywhere without seeing the effects of it. So a safe consumption site is a big deal for anybody who lives in this neighbourhood."
Even though it wasn't technically open to the public, Johnson said she was glad to get the opportunity to take part in a consultation.
"They hadn't even had, like, a real community consultation yet," she said.
"There was a lot of very eager community people that wanted to be there and had a lot of questions and a lot of concerns, and wanted to be consulted."
She said she wasn't aware of the scope of the proposed site, which would include offering services to help people access housing, treatment and recovery programs, and form connections to cultural practices.
"That was really reassuring for me, that it wasn't just an open centre where people can just come in and do what they want," said Johnson, who applauded the "evidence-based approach… in terms of life-saving care" that was presented.
'Legitimate concerns' about site: school board member
The province announced the proposed Disraeli Freeway for the site, which would be a first in Manitoba, last month. It would provide sterile needles and other drug-consumption equipment, and have staff on hand in the event of an overdose.
The Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre is partnering with the province in developing the site, which would be in a building shared with N'Dinawemak — Our Relatives' Place, a winter warm-up shelter.
That proposed location has faced criticism from some residents, businesses and other organizations in the area, including the Manitoba Métis Federation, whose office is located across Henry Avenue from the site.
Under the federal government's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the approval process for a supervised consumption site requires consultation with any stakeholders within 500 metres of the proposed location.
An application to have the site approved by Health Canada was filed by the province last November, and is listed as being in the screening stage.
But Johnson said some people feel there are still missing facts around the site, which is "a legitimate ask," she said.
"We need to see reports. We need to see the evidence, and then I think that would put everybody's mind at rest."
Sheila Page, who also attended the consultation, is a member of the board of directors for the nearby Children's House Montessori School, which has programming for kids between 2½ and six years old.
She was among the school's representatives who met with Aboriginal and Wellness Health Centre and government representatives in November.
"We were unhappy with the process that was followed. We felt that our concerns were not considered seriously, and so when the opportunity came to have more information, we decided to come to this information session," she said.
"I don't think that we felt that we were much further ahead."
Page said there are concerns about safety, and the school already deals with disruptive and confrontational behaviour and drug debris in the neighbourhood.
"We have, I think, legitimate concerns about the increase in disruptive behaviours that may come about because of the safe injection site," Page said.
She wants to see practical details about security and safety in the neighbourhood, and hopes to see further consultation with a greater focus on community at large.
"I have no quarrel with the services that they're offering. I do have misgivings about what's going to happen to the neighbourhood, but I would like to see more of a presence from the agencies that they reference as supporting their security approaches, specifically the Winnipeg Police Service and the Downtown Community Safety [Partnership]," she said.
Housing and Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith, who is also the MLA for Point Douglas, said she wants to assure Point Douglas residents that safety is a top priority.
"This is going to make the community safer, and this is not just about folks coming in to use. It's about connecting people to services," she said.
"We know that people are dying of overdoses in higher numbers in our province and that there's a need for this in our province."
A large-scale town hall is expected in the coming weeks, Smith said.
WATCH | Consultation sessions underway for province's proposed supervised drug consumption site:
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With files from Alana Cole