ManitobaThe Opposition Progressive Conservatives have tabled amendments challenging elements of proposed Manitoba NDP legislation that would enable highly intoxicated people, including those experiencing meth-induced psychosis, to be detained for up to 72 hours.Tories call for restrictions on locating protective care centres near schools, overdose prevention sitesBryce Hoye · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 4:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesManitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew has said a ‘protective care centre,’ or 72-hour detox centre, will open at this site at 190 Disraeli Fwy. — if the NDP’s proposed legislation passes. (Rudi Pawlychyn/CBC)The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have tabled amendments challenging elements of Manitoba NDP legislation that would enable highly intoxicated people, including those experiencing meth-induced psychosis, to be detained for up to 72 hours.PC addictions critic Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie) tabled amendments Tuesday to the proposed Bill 48 — the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act — calling for restrictions on operating a planned 72-hour protective care centre, or detox facility, within 500 metres of a child care centre, school, personal care home.The amendments would also prohibit operating the detox facility within 500 metres of a supervised consumption site or a mobile overdose prevention site.The latter provision targets Sunshine House’s mobile overdose prevention site, which the federal government granted an exemption to operate in 2022. The amendments could have some bearing on plans to open the detox centre at 190 Disraeli Fwy. The NDP previously planned to open a safe consumption site there, but backtracked following opposition from community. Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith has set Nov. 1 as the target date for opening for the detox centre, but that hinges on Bill 48 passing.On Tuesday after question period, PC Leader Obby Khan declined to share details of the Tory’s planned amendments to the legislation, saying the party would discuss them in the House on Wednesday.Official Opposition leader Obby Khan speaks after question period on Tuesday. Khan declined to provide specific details on amendments when asked by media. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)The PCs then tabled the amendments, which include asking for a 45-day pause on plans for more public consultation, including one meeting scheduled with Premier Wab Kinew, as well as a detailed assessment by the NDP of how the detox facility could impact the surrounding community.Khan said there were “real, tangible concerns” raised by some members of the public at a committee meeting last week that ran well into the night. “People that were really in favour of Bill 48 had concerns, people that were not in favour of Bill 48 had concerns,” Khan said. “We’ve brought those all forward in a way for this premier and minister to listen to Manitobans.”Khan said the PCs back the idea of extending the detention timeline to 72 hours, from the current 24 hours, but that there are tweaks that need to be worked out in the legislation.Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith speaks during question period at the Manitoba Legislature on Tuesday. Her office declined to do an interview about Bill 48 on Tuesday. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)The planned protective care centre would be staffed with a range of health-care professionals and expand on the model already being operated by Main Street Project, according to past comments from Addictions Minister Smith.In a statement on Tuesday, she said the NDP is committed to improving safety, including through the creation of the protective care centre at 190 Disraeli.The government still hopes to open the centre on Saturday, “and we hope our PC colleagues back up their words in the media and help us pass this bill to make our province safer,” the statement reads.The proposal for extended detention has received support from several health-care and law enforcement professionals, including Winnipeg’s chief of police, though concerns have also been raised by community organizations, including the West Central Women’s Resource Centre.Resource Assistance for Youth and Sunshine House also voiced opposition, citing concerns about how the bill stigmatizes and criminalizes substance use.Addictions critic Bereza’s amendments ask for a provision that would force the operator of a protective care centre to provide data annually detailing how many people were detained, how many were detained more than once, and anonymized information on the gender and age of those detained. Jeff Bereza (Portage la Prairie), the addictions critic for the Progressive Conservatives, tabled amendments to the proposed Bill 48 on Tuesday. (Bryce Hoye/CBC)The PCs also want information on the kinds of “programs and services” offered to those detained, and how many were permitted to stay in the protective care facility for additional care.Under the amendment, the addictions minister would also be obligated to produce an annual publicly available report that lays out all of that information from the protective care centre operator.In a statement, an NDP spokesperson accused the Opposition of “trying to obstruct legislation that will help save lives.””We already report on much of the information they’ve called for, and their changes would force existing health facilities to close right now,” said Housing, Addictions and Homelessness spokesperson Emily Coutts. The Disraeli Freeway location of the planned detox centre is near a current 24-hour detox centre run by Main Street Project. With files from Bartley Kives
PCs push for amendments that could complicate Manitoba NDP’s detox centre plans
