Manitoba·NewManitoba’s premier is floating the idea of permanently transforming the former site of a controversial facility for people with intellectual disabilities into a centre to house evacuees forced out of their homes by emergencies like wildfires.Kinew says province has already used former Manitoba Developmental Centre space for wildfire evacueesCBC News · Posted: Sep 02, 2025 7:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes agoThe more-than-century-old Manitoba Developmental Centre closed its doors after its last resident officially moved out last year. The facility was at the centre of a class-action lawsuit over alleged abuses that was settled for $17 million in compensation. (Walther Bernal/CBC)Manitoba’s premier is floating the idea of permanently transforming the former site of a controversial facility for people with intellectual disabilities into a centre to house evacuees forced out of their homes by emergencies like wildfires.Wab Kinew said by the end of Manitoba’s recent wildfire state of emergency, the province was using space at the site of the former Manitoba Developmental Centre in Portage la Prairie to house wildfire evacuees.”Part of that internal review we’re going to look at is, ‘OK, now that we’ve reactivated this facility and got it into a condition where it can house people, what are we going to use that for?'” Kinew told CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio host Marcy Markusa on Tuesday.”Is this going to be a permanent Manitoba evacuation centre going forward? If so, how do we work with northern communities to say, ‘Let’s say you do, God forbid, have to evacuate your homes. How are you going to get people quickly from a First Nation or town or city in the north to a facility like that? And how are you going to support people in those areas?'”Kinew said housing needs related to addressing homelessness in the province also need to be examined. “So it’s going to be a bit of a balancing act, and trying to judge the priorities that we have as a province,” he said.The more-than-century-old Manitoba Developmental Centre closed its doors after its last resident officially moved out last year. The facility was at the centre of a class-action lawsuit over alleged abuses that was settled for $17 million in compensation. Then-premier Heather Stefanson also apologized in the Legislature to former residents of the Manitoba Developmental Centre as part of that settlement.The Manitoba government had announced in January 2021 that the centre, one of Canada’s last large institutional facilities, would close after its remaining 133 residents were moved to community living.Evacuation centre could be good idea: union presidentKyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, said Tuesday he thinks it could be a good idea to reopen the facility as a permanent evacuation centre that will be ready as soon as it’s needed.”I think it’s an opportunity for the government to show people that they care about them. And it’s an opportunity for workers in Portage to have some more jobs,” said Ross, whose union represented the workers who staffed the institution while it was still open.”I think we’ve seen this summer that many families [who were evacuated by wildfires] needed supports, and this is a way that they get more stable supports.”Ross said the union is going to continue to advocate for workers in the community and hopes to get a seat at the table with the government to discuss what next steps could look like. “We’re going to reach out to the minister responsible and hopefully have a conversation and get an understanding [of] what the plans are and see where we fit into the situation,” Ross said. “We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”With files from Susan Magas
Former Manitoba facility for people with disabilities could be permanent evacuation centre, premier says
