ManitobaA new 72-hour detention centre in Winnipeg for highly intoxicated people will open in less than three weeks, barring any legislative hiccups, the province’s addictions minister says.Bernadette Smith eyes opening of site by start of next month, or as soon as bill is voted throughBryce Hoye · CBC News · Posted: Oct 15, 2025 8:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoAddictions, Housing and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith says the NDP hope to open a new 72-hour ‘protective care centre,’ or detox site, as early as Nov. 1. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)A new 72-hour detention centre for highly intoxicated people is expected to open in less than three weeks, barring any legislative hiccups.Manitoba Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith said the NDP hopes to open the “protective care centre” or detox facility, capable of holding people for up to three days, on Nov. 1.”We’ve heard from Manitobans that they want to make sure that … people that are at a risk of safety to themselves and the safety to others … are brought to somewhere that they can get the supports that they need,” Smith said Wednesday after question period at the legislature. The minister wants to open a new three-day detox centre at 190 Disraeli Fwy. on Nov. 1, a few blocks away from a 24-hour facility already in operation.Smith said three doctors have been advising the NDP. She also acknowledged the plan has encountered opposition — mostly related to the proposed location — since Oct. 2, when she tabled Bill 48, the Protective Detention and Care of Intoxicated Persons Act.The bill, which would allow the 72-hour detention period for intoxicated people, still needs to pass third reading before becoming law. Despite voting in favour during the first and second readings, there are hints from the Opposition a coming vote may not pass unchallenged.Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan said he supports the spirit of the bill, but repeated questions about how much the proposed Disraeli site will cost to operate and how many staff will be needed. “What is going to be the makeup of these facilities, how many nurses is it going to require to run these facilities, how many doctors, how many safety or security guards will it take to run this facility, where are they going to be located?” Khan said during a scrum Wednesday.”We have pages upon pages of questions that this NDP government needs to answer.” Progressive Conservative MLA and health critic Jeff Bereza, left, and Obby Khan, leader of the Official Opposition, right, take questions from reporters at the legislature on Wednesday. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza, the PC health critic, repeated concerns he previously raised about how the legislation could result in changes in rural areas, including how police and emergency services personnel manage highly intoxicated people.”Is there a protective care centre in Portage la Prairie, and how does somebody get transported there?” Bereza said. “We need to make sure that both the victims and the people that are looking after the victims are protected.”Bill 48 contains a provision extending legal liability protections to people staffing protective care centres.Smith said the NDP has briefed the PCs on the bill and haven’t heard whether the Tories intend to push for amendments or other changes.The legislation would replace and expand on current legislation that guides the detention of intoxicated people. One of the main features is to extend the time someone can be held for from 24 to 72 hours, with the hope it would also ease the strain on hospital emergency departments and police resources presently tied up in detaining and monitoring highly intoxicated people.Smith has said the idea is to scale up what’s already done at the Main Street Project site, which has been operating for years, to more appropriately meet the needs of people intoxicated on drugs like meth that can keep people high for days in some cases.This site at 190 Disraeli Fwy. is where the NDP plans to open the ‘protective care centre,’ or detox site, as early as Nov. 1. (Rudi Pawlychyn/CBC)The non-profit Main Street Project, which operates a detox facility off Main Street blocks from the proposed Disraeli site, will be responsible for operations at the new space. Smith has said more medical staff will be needed to monitor those detained at 190 Disraeli, provide care and connect people with recovery supports. She did not say what kind of medical professionals will staff the site when asked by reporters Wednesday.Otherwise, she said the process of detaining, monitoring and releasing after 72 hours will be similar to what’s already in practice.”It’s going to be no different than what’s happening right now,” Smith said. “They’re going to be brought there by an officer, a designated officer — whether that’s a police officer or a community resource officer … and released to someone there. And then when they’re deemed not intoxicated and … [safe] to be released, they’ll be released back into the community.”Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew speaks during question period Wednesday. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)Premier Wab Kinew said Oct. 9 that the provincial government owns 190 and 200 Disraeli, part of a complex previously eyed for a safe consumption site by the NDP. The government walked back those plans amid pushback from community members, including from some local residents who raised concerns about having such a space too close to nearby schools, child-care centres and homes.A community committee meeting is planned for Thursday night on Bill 48, where the public can learn more about the proposed detox centre and legislationABOUT THE AUTHORBryce Hoye is a multi-platform journalist with a background in wildlife biology. He has worked for CBC Manitoba for over a decade with stints producing at CBC’s Quirks & Quarks and Front Burner. He was a 2024-25 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. He is also Prairie rep for outCBC. He has won a national Radio Television Digital News Association award for a 2017 feature on the history of the fur trade, and a 2023 Prairie region award for an audio documentary about a Chinese-Canadian father passing down his love for hockey to the next generation of Asian Canadians.Selected storiesEmail: bryce.hoye@cbc.caFacebookMore by Bryce Hoye
NDP hope to open new 72-hour Winnipeg detox site Nov. 1, addictions minister says
