Winnipeg could bypass province to establish supervised consumption site, councillor suggests

With people openly injecting illegal drugs inWinnipeg bussheltersand a pandemic putting additionalpressure on the city's shelter system for peoplewho are homeless, a motion at Winnipeg's city hall has pushed the contentious issue of supervised drug consumption sites back into the limelight.

Couns. Sherri Rollins(Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) and Cindy Gilroy (Daniel Mclntyre) tabled a motion at a council meeting on Thursday, callingon Winnipeg's public service to"report on the merits and feasibility of establishing a low barrier, supervised drug consumption site" in Winnipeg.

Health officials, addictions experts and crime statistics have pointed to a growingcrisis of hard drug use and overdoses in Winnipeg, which some say has grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rollinssaysthe crisis is real, and believes the motion will kick-start efforts to get a supervisedconsumptionrunning in the city.

"We have to be talking about harm reduction and the funding that we are not seeing in this city. The time is now," Rollins told reporters duringa break from thecouncil meeting.

Communities in other provinces, includingOntario,Alberta and British Columbia, have established consumption sites withprovincial support, Rollins said.

Manitoba'sProgressive Conservative government has been resistant to establish such a facility, but Rollinsbelieves there is a path the city could take to establish a site without provincial participation.

"I think you're asking a constitutional question should we bypass the province to get to the public health issues that we need to in Winnipeg through to the federal government? Not a normal trajectory for government, but this is where I am at personally," Rollins said.

That "trajectory," she said, could include partnering with First Nations governments to create a site.

Asked about the motion Thursday morning,Premier Brian Pallisterwasnon-committal.

"Nothing works perfectly, so I wouldn't want it to be taken as an absolute statement that there may not be some value from such sites.I don't think that it's as high a priority as perhaps some others do," Pallister told reporters.

A consumptionsite is "alower-priority investment than the tens of millions that we're investing in other preventative measures," the premier said.

A release Thursday morning from Audrey Gordon, therecently appointed provincial minister for mental health, wellness and recovery, said the PC government has provided over $47million in funding for more than 27 mental health and addictions initiatives sinceOctober 2019.

Ideological view on sites: Bowman

Mayor Brian Bowman wouldn't unequivocally support the establishment of a site in Winnipeg, saying the city's public service needed to gather more data before making that decision.

"What I'm interested in is getting scientific information and data that can help inform us froma health perspective. And I would encourage provincial leaders who are responsible for the health of our residents to do the same," Bowman said.

He saidthe Progressive Conservative government was "absolutely" approaching theideaof a supervised consumption site from an ideological perspective, instead of using medical and scientific advice.

The motion from Rollins and Gilroy didn't enjoy complete endorsement from city council.

Coun. Jeff Browatysaid the city would be straying too far from its mandate with such a site.

"I really don't support this kind of 'mission creep' to get into mental health services," the North Kildonan councillor said. "It's beyond the scope and jurisdiction of the city."

Call for action to establish safe drug consumption site

4 years ago

Duration 2:21

With people openly injecting illegal drugs in Winnipeg bus shelters and a pandemic putting additional pressure on the city's shelter system for people who are homeless, a motion at Winnipeg's city hall has pushed the contentious issue of supervised drug consumption sites back into the limelight.

The idea has challenged another conservative-minded member of city council.

Coun. Scott Gillingham(St. James) says his thinking in the last few yearshas opened up to the idea of a consumption site, but agreed with Browaty that it isn't the city'sresponsibilityto take on.

"The city doesn't have the mandate for health, nordo we have the financial resources for health," Gillingham said.

"It's a complex and polarizing issue. At the end of the day, it's about men and women that have an addiction. How do we compassionately help them?"