Disraeli Freeway building pegged as home for Manitoba’s 1st supervised consumption site

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Peggy

The planned location of a long-promised supervised drug consumption site for Winnipeg has been identified as a vacant space on Disraeli Freeway at the edge of south Point Douglas.

An application on Health Canada’s website shows the proposed location to be 200 Disraeli Fwy., just north of the corner of Disraeli and Henry Avenue. It’s a shared building with N’Dinawemak — Our Relatives’ Place, a winter warm-up shelter at 190 Disraeli.

The facility would be operated by the Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre, which is headquartered a block away in the Neeginan Centre, the former Canadian Pacific Railway Station on Higgins Avenue.

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara confirmed the site during a news conference on Wednesday, saying it was chosen because “that’s a location that has a lot of community-based resources already.

“That particular area in core Winnipeg … has a number of agencies that deliver primary care, agencies that are Indigenous-led — a lot of services right there that are providing community-level, grassroots-level care every single day at all hours of the day for folks who need it,” Asagwara said.

“It’s right in a part of the city where we know that there are some challenges around homelessness, severe and persistent substance use. We know that there’s community that exists there that really benefits from those services. You’re actually establishing a place that’s meeting people where they’re at.”

A person with dark hair and a suit jacket speaks into microphones at a table. Flags of the province of Manitoba are draped in the background. — Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara says the proposed location for the consumption site is ideal because it is surrounded by other organizations and agencies that provide services to those who are struggling in various ways. (Warren Kay/CBC)

Asked if there has been any pushback in the neighbourhood, Asagwara said it’s quite the opposite.

“I think folks in the community are really open to this. They’ve been seeing these challenges for years,” the minister said.

“I think people are actually really excited that there’s action finally being taken to make sure that those who are struggling with addictions and struggling maybe with acute health issues, that can’t get their needs met elsewhere, are finally going to have their needs met in one location that’s going to have dedicated teams and dedicated resources right there for them.”

Any organization wanting to operate a supervised consumption site for medical purposes in Canada must obtain an exemption under Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

As part of an application for an exemption, applicants must fulfil certain requirements, including doing community consultations and providing a report on the consultations.

Applicants are also required to provide evidence of conditions supporting the need for the site, such as an analysis of the intended health and safety impact on expected clients, the general public and the local area.

The proposed site for the Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre’s facility is directly across Disraeli from Argyle Alternative High School, which is for students in grades 10-12, up to the age of 21.

The exemption application was filed on Nov. 21 and is listed as being in the screening stage.

The provincial government announced in June that Manitoba’s first supervised consumption site would open in 2025 in Winnipeg, and be the first Indigenous-led one in Canada, but exactly where and when had yet to be determined.

Asagwara didn’t have a date when the new site is expected to open, but said the government and its partners are working “to stand this up as quickly as possible” and in the right way.

“This is something that we look forward to sharing more information on right away for folks.”