ManitobaThe Manitoba government has a new proposed location for the province’s first consumption site.People living, working near 366 Henry Ave. invited by province to consultation meetings about facilityListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.People who live and work near 366 Henry Ave. have been invited to consultation meetings about a new supervised consumption site. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)The Manitoba government has a new proposed location for the province’s first consumption site.Addictions Minister Bernadette Smith said in a statement on Friday the proposed location for the supervised consumption site is now 366 Henry Ave., west of Main Street and north of Logan Avenue.The new location comes after the NDP government backed off its initial proposal to locate the site on Disraeli Street, east of Main Street in Winnipeg’s inner city, after local residents raised several concerns, including the site’s proximity to a high school.Smith’s statement said the Henry location is “well beyond” 250 metres away from schools or child-care facilities. Asked about the site during an unrelated interview Friday, Premier Wab Kinew said it’s “probably the best that we are going to [do to] balance the considerations of keeping it away from kids walking home from schools, and near the area of greatest needs.”The supervised consumption site will not supply drugs, but will allow people to inject drugs, with staff on hand to respond to overdoses.Kinew reiterated Friday that the facility is part of Manitoba’s strategy for harm reduction, aimed at saving lives by connecting people with treatment.”We’ll do this given the urgency of what we see with the drug crisis and trying to have that health-care response quickly,” he said. Premier Wab Kinew says the new proposed consumption site location is close to social service providers, but far enough from daycares and schools. (CBC)In her statement, Smith echoed those comments, but also said open drug use is already happening in public spaces like streets and parks, creating safety concerns.The government has said it plans to open the facility in partnership with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre early in the new year. The province has submitted an application to the federal government via its ”urgent public health need sites” stream to establish the facility quickly, a provincial spokesperson said in a statement. Urgent public health need sites are similar to supervised consumption sites, but the “urgent” sites are set on a temporary basis to respond to pressing needs in a community, according to Health Canada.Consultation processThe province has two consultation sessions on the consumption site slated for next week: an in-person meeting on Tuesday at Siloam Mission and a virtual meeting on Thursday. Both will run from 6 to 8 p.m.Asked what will happen if there is pushback on the newly proposed location, Kinew said the government is “being flexible.” “But I do want to reiterate for people that this is a really important part of the overall fight against meth, fight against opioids, fight against drugs in our community,” he said.”We have invested in law enforcement, we have invested in recovery, we have been investing in prevention, and this is part of the harm-reduction continuum.” He said the province has also been criticized for not acting sooner on its 2023 election campaign promise to open a consumption site.”I do think that the community is on board at the biggest scale,” he said. “When it comes to addressing concerns that people might want to bring forward, that’s why we have the consultations.”WATCH | Manitoba eyes Henry Avenue building for proposed supervised consumption site:Manitoba eyes Henry Avenue building for proposed supervised consumption siteThe Manitoba government is now eyeing a location on Henry Avenue for a proposed supervised consumption site in Winnipeg, months after the government halted its initial plans for a site on Disraeli Freeway following concerns from residents.Kelly Miranda, who is the manager of Pampanga — a restaurant and banquet hall close to the Henry Avenue location — is concerned about the effect it will have on her business.”I am not really a fan of it, just because of where we are located and what’s around us,” she said. Between vandalism, people soliciting and car break-ins, staff and customers are already concerned about safety in the area, said Miranda.She’s worried about losing customers if the site opens at 366 Henry, saying families might not want their children to be around the facility. She’s also worried about staff retention, after seeing workers quit after they were assaulted while walking to the restaurant. There are no bus routes that can drop them close to the building, she said.”I just don’t know what kind of people are going to come out of that now that you’re … allowing them to do drugs,” she said. Kelly Miranda, manager of the Pampanga Restaurant and Banquet Hall, is concerned about losing customers and staff at her business if the consumption site opens at 366 Henry Ave. (Justin Fraser/CBC)While there other social service providers in the area, Miranda is concerned they may be overwhelmed with additional visits from those using the new site. She would have liked to see the province give her, and other businesses in the area, a heads-up about the new location proposal before the public consultation.”We’re already trying to make ends meet” in a competitive industry, she said.”And then now we got to compete with the people around us … to try to keep it as safe, welcoming [as possible].”Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement on Friday the public consultations are “an important step” to give the neighbourhood the opportunity to ask questions about the facility. Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers said the force is working out details for a security plan for the area around the proposed site. CBC News also contacted the Opposition Progressive Conservatives for comment but had not received a response prior to publication.ABOUT THE AUTHORSantiago Arias Orozco is a journalist with CBC Manitoba currently based in Winnipeg. He previously worked for CBC Toronto and the Toronto Star. You can reach him at santiago.arias.orozco@cbc.ca.With files from CBC’s Gavin Axelrod and Ian Froese and The Canadian Press
Province now proposing Henry Avenue location for 1st supervised consumption site
