Manitoba premier hints at change of location for supervised drug consumption site

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says the location of a planned supervised drug consumption site is not a foregone conclusion.

Kinew says the community will be consulted and, if the proposed location is not the right one, there’s a chance the province may go in a different direction.

The province has selected 200 Disraeli Freeway in Winnipeg’s core area for the facility that would allow people to inject drugs, with staff on hand to respond to overdoses and guide people toward treatment.

Some area residents say they have not been consulted, and critics have said the location is wrong because a high school is directly across a busy six-lane street from the site.

Kinew says it’s important that a supervised consumption site be built in order to save lives, and the required application is now before the federal government.

The premier says the government is willing to consider a change in location, if there is a strong outcry from the community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.