Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 31, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THE provincial addictions minis- ter tried to calm fears the pro- posed supervised injection site in Point Douglas will ramp up crime in a community that has been besieged by crime, drug use and homelessness. Ahead of a community forum to dis- cuss the site, which would be the first in Manitoba if approved by Health Canada, Bernadette Smith said the government would work with the Downtown Com- munity Safety Partnership and Winni- peg Police Service to keep the area safe. Details will be ironed out following community consultation, she told repor- ters, who were banned from the Thurs- day evening event. “We want to hear from the commun- ity. This is a proposed site, so of course we want to hear feedback on what’s pro- posed,” the minister said. Andrew Chan, who went to the meet- ing and is a member of Winnipeg Centre Vineyard church’s leadership team, said staff regularly clean up needles in the courtyard, at 782 Main St., before letting children play there. “I support harm reduction, but we have to do it in a way such that it doesn’t affect all the other community mem- bers,” Chan said. Stephanie Casar, a council member of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Roman Catholic church 400 metres from the proposed site, at 200 Disraeli Fwy., said earlier she planned to attend the forum to “listen and learn.” Casar expressed concerns about the proposed site’s proximity to the Disraeli Overpass. Parishioners must already watch for people who sit in the middle of the street or don’t pay attention to traffic, she said. Our Lady of Lourdes has erected a fence and hired security for social gath- erings in response to crime in the area. “We’re hoping that whatever happens in this neighbourhood, that it turns the corner for this neighbourhood,” said Casar, whose church has been in the community for 62 years. Hours before the forum, Point Power- line Inc. issued a list of demands on be- half of Point Douglas residents. The community-led crime prevention tipline demanded drug dealers who sell fatal doses be charged with manslaugh- ter. “We need to pull out all stops and at- tempt to save these lives,” said Sel Bur- rows, founder and co-ordinator of the tipline. Burrows singled out stricter criminal charges and the creation of a task force to crack down on money laundering as key initiatives to deter criminals and improve safety in the inner city. He sug- gested seizures of the proceeds of laun- dering be redirected to “drug-dealing disruption and treatment programs.” While he is keen to see the province open a designated space for people who use drugs to do so in the presence of health-care workers, he said the roll- out needs to be complemented by extra funding for crime prevention. The provincial government applied to open its first such facility on Nov. 21. Should Health Canada approve it, the province will run the site in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg — the entity antici- pated to oversee its day-to-day oper- ations. There were 323 suspected sub- stance-related deaths in Manitoba dur- ing the first seven months of 2024. Opioid-related 911 calls jumped 1,372 per cent between 2016 and 2023, per a new report from the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. Supervised consumption sites seek to prevent accidental overdoses and re- duce needle-sharing and the subsequent spread of infectious diseases. “Safety and security in and around the proposed supervised consumption site remains our top priority and we will only move ahead once we have a compre- hensive safety plan in place,” Catherine Gates, deputy minister of housing, addic- tions and homelessness, wrote in a Jan. 23 memo to the Point Douglas Residents Association. A local chapter of Action4Canada — a national group with a self-described mandate of “protecting faith, family and freedom” — had encouraged members to challenge the proposal. “Don’t be fooled by the word ‘safe (in safe consumption site),’” states an ex- cerpt of a Thursday email sent to mem- bers of the group. The Winnipeg chapter indicated it wants government officials to focus on addictions treatments, providing health- care information to Manitobans and giving referrals to community service providers. The latter two items are generally central to supervised consumption site operations. Health Canada reporting indicates there were no deaths at any existing site in the country — although there were 43,566 non-fatal overdoses — between March 2020 and August 2024. During that four-year period, there were nearly 62,800 referrals to offsite services. Burrows, who’s spent the better part of the last quarter-century living in Point Douglas, said the proposed location is well-placed. He said government officials have pledged crime-prevention tactics at 200 Disraeli Fwy. that include tapping Bear Clan Patrol to play a pivotal leadership role. At the same time, he argued there must be stricter consequences for illicit drug suppliers. He wants police to ramp up the seiz- ure of small-scale dealers’ products and charge people who “cut” drugs with deadly substances with manslaughter to disrupt the wider business model. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said he welcomed the latest pitches from Bur- rows, whose calls for a machete ban inspired the NDP’s new long-bladed weapon restrictions. “We’re looking for every opportunity that we can find to go after drug dealers and to keep these drugs out of our com- munities,” the attorney general said. — with files from Gabrielle Piché maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca TOP NEWS A3 FRIDAY JANUARY 31, 2025 ● ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS: STACEY THIDRICKSON 204-697-7292 ● CITY.DESK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM Alcohol was cited in 4,595 cases in 2023, down from 5,705 in 2016. WFPS members, along with staff from the community organization Sunshine House, responded Sunday when 10 people overdosed within a two-hour period near Main Street and Logan Avenue. Schmidt said the WFPS works close- ly with outreach groups. “In light of the challenges we have in the community, these are the types of relationships we need to keep building so we can really care for the most vulnerable people in our community that are suffering from these overdose events,” he said. Manitoba recorded 323 suspected drug-related deaths from Jan. 1 to July 31, 2024, as per the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s most recent preliminary data. Marion Willis, executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, which con- ducts street outreach and has a 12-bed transitional home for men experienc- ing addiction, homelessness or mental health issues, has seen no sign of the toxic drug crisis abating. “We don’t see a decline in the use of opioids at all,” she said, noting more supports are needed for people who are struggling with addiction and overlapping issues such as poverty, homelessness and mental health. The Manitoba government, which recently announced a plan to curb homelessness, has pledged to expand toxic drug testing, detox beds and ad- diction treatment options. It is eyeing Point Douglas for a proposed super- vised drug consumption site. Schmidt said the site will help con- nect some users to professional help. “I think that’s going to be a very im- portant step for us to correcting what we have going on here in our city,” he said. Willis, who expects the site to help in some small way, said it isn’t the answer for every drug user. The surge in the WFPS drug-related calls coincided with an 87 per cent spike in fires and 23 per cent jump in overall medical calls from 2019 to 2023. The WFPS is under “extreme stress,” Schmidt wrote in the report. Kasper said the spike in calls has put “tremendous” strain on staff. A separate city report in November said the number of approved Workers Compensation Board claims by WFPS members climbed to 120 per month in 2024 from about 40 per month in 2016. Kasper and Woiden both said they would welcome more mental-health supports and additional staff to bolster front lines that are stretched thin. The WFPS set up a behavioural health unit in 2021. The city’s latest budget includes 24 new firefighters funded by the province. Schmidt said 24 additional paramedics were hired in 2023. He said a new five-priority dispatch system, which will be rolled out within three months, will make the service more efficient. Some less-urgent calls are being handled by the Downtown Community Safety Partnership. Mayor Scott Gillingham said the in- creased number of calls is concerning and reflects Winnipeg’s rapid growth and broader social challenges, which are faced by many cities. “I’ve spoken about the possibility of adding a fourth emergency service dedicated to mental health response, which could help alleviate call volumes for paramedics, firefighters and po- lice,” he said. “I look forward to further discussions with the province and com- munity stakeholders on this option.” Community services chair Coun. Vivian Santos described the WFPS call data as “very stark.” She said priorities include adding staff and addressing issues related to injury-related leave. “It’s important we support our mem- bership,” she said. chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca OPIOIDS ● FROM A1 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Point Douglas community members attend a community forum about the proposed supervised consumption site Thursday night. Media wasn’t allowed to attend the meeting. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith tells reporters the government wants public feedback about the proposal and that safety is a paramount concern. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba government applied to Health Canada on Nov. 21 to open its first super- vised consumption site, at 200 Disraeli Fwy. Crime tipline calls for manslaughter charges in OD deaths MAGGIE MACINTOSH Safety ‘key concern’ at supervised drug site ;