ManitobaThe Manitoba government promised more consultation Tuesday with inner-city residents and business owners upset about a planned supervised drug consumption site.Government vows to do more consultation amid concerns from local residents, business ownersSteve Lambert · The Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 09, 2025 8:56 PM EST | Last Updated: 35 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Manitoba government announced last week it’s picked 366 Henry Ave. — a largely commercial area several blocks west of Main Street and hundreds of metres away from any schools — as the new proposed location for the province’s 1st supervised consumption site. (Gavin Axelrod/CBC)The Manitoba government promised more consultation Tuesday with inner-city residents and business owners upset about a planned supervised drug consumption site.Premier Wab Kinew also said the government is open to delaying the site’s opening beyond January — the timeline initially proposed.”Just over the weekend, we heard from community [members] who are saying ‘We need more time,”‘ Kinew told reporters.”Given the fact we’re extending the consultations, I think we’re realistically also willing to delay opening maybe by a few weeks, hopefully. That would be enough time to address the desire for people to weigh in and also for us to respond to what we hear.”The NDP government initially planned the province’s first-ever supervised consumption site for 200 Disraeli Freeway — an area east of Main St. close to homeless shelters. But area residents protested, partly because the site is close to a high school and child-care centre, and the government backed down.Last week, the government announced its new location of 366 Henry Ave. — a largely commercial area several blocks west of Main Street and hundreds of metres away from any schools. The decision caught nearby business owners off-guard.The government announced two consultation meetings on short notice for this week. Kinew said Tuesday there will be at least one additional meeting, tentatively set for next week and focusing on business concerns, and more if needed.A brochure distributed in the area in recent days said safety is a key concern.”Once high, where do these people end up? Do they leave the building and walk around the area? Will they have health-care professionals escort them back home?” the brochure reads.Kinew said he wants to address public concerns, but said supervised consumption sites save lives, help connect people with treatment and were an NDP campaign promise.”We have to look at the bigger picture of the health needs of what’s happening in our community,” Kinew said.
Province open to delaying Winnipeg supervised consumption site’s opening: premier
