Point Douglas residents raise concerns about drug consumption site proposal

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 8:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

More than 100 people, including Winnipeg's caller police, showed up to a municipality hallway meeting Tuesday evening to dependable ideas and concerns astir the projected harmless depletion tract for Point Douglas.

Christin Harris, who lives with her household adjacent the proposed tract astatine 200 Disraeli Freeway, works successful harm simplification and said the government should absorption connected addictions attraction alternatively than a spot for supervised cause use.

"There are different avenues that we tin explore," Harris said. "In presumption of detox treatment, we request that today.

"We person hold lists for [rapid entree addiction medicine] clinics present truthful the value of having the detox beds disposable … is essential."

Greg Robson said the gathering didn't code his concerns astir a imaginable escalation of crime.

"I deliberation we're seeing Band-Aid solutions here. There's nary existent solution," helium said. "It's a batch of lip-service.

"It's the 3rd gathering with the aforesaid result, and it's taxing."

The meeting, wrong Ashdown Market in the city's Exchange District, was organized by the Point Douglas Residents' Committee.

The province's Housing, Homelessness and Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith, on with constabulary main Gene Bowers and other high-ranking members of the Winnipeg Police Service were successful attendance.

Police Supt. Bonnie Emerson said metropolis constabulary wanted to nonstop a connection to residents they're moving connected a plan.

"There's a batch of passionateness and vexation [but] I deliberation it's important for the nationalist to recognize … this isn't decriminalization and this isn't harmless supply. Part of the program volition beryllium enforcement," she said.

The Manitoba authorities filed the exertion for the supervised depletion tract with Health Canada successful precocious November. The exertion is inactive nether review.

The gathering would beryllium shared with the N'Dinawemak — Our Relatives' Place, a wintertime warm-up shelter, and beryllium operated by the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre.

Area residents person antecedently criticized the state for not consulting with them earlier determining the projected determination and raising information concerns.

Smith said Tuesday the authorities is inactive successful consultations and is "not rushing this."

"We privation to marque definite that we're getting it right," she said, adding the authorities is looking to equilibrium harm simplification with cause enforcement.

"People request to recognize that this supervised depletion tract is astir superior wellness care," she said.

"Getting radical connected to stabilized housing, getting them connected to intelligence wellness workers and addiction supports."

Carrie Hiebert, the Opposition Progressive Conservative Party's housing, addictions and homelessness critic, also spoke astatine the meeting.

She said Manitoba is opening depletion sites as different provinces are closing them, arguing similar Harris that much wealth should beryllium spent connected addictions attraction instead.