First look at new centre that will detain drug-intoxicated people up to 72 hours

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government defended its plan Monday to detain people high on methamphetamines and other drugs for up to 72 hours at a new facility in central Winnipeg.

“For far too long, what we’ve been doing has not been working and we’re taking a different approach because Manitobans have said they don’t feel safe in their communities,” Bernadette Smith, the minister of housing, addictions and homelessness, told reporters invited to tour the building, which is set to start operating by the end of the month.

“We know that people aren’t feeling safe when they’re doing substances either, and we want to intervene.”

The NDP government recently passed a law to extend the amount of time highly intoxicated people can be detained to 72 hours from 24, in order to deal with the longer-lasting effects of methamphetamines.

The new protective-care centre is to be run by Main Street Project, a non-profit that has for decades run a nearby 24-hour centre commonly called the “drunk tank.”

The new building features sparse three-metre-by-three-metre, cell-like rooms with a toilet, sink, video surveillance and an intercom. There are 20 rooms down a long hallway, with plans for another 20 rooms to be added later.

The plan for 72-hour detentions has been criticized by some community groups that have argued that holding people against their will for up to three days criminalizes addiction. Mark Wasyliw, an independent legislature member kicked out of the NDP caucus last year, recently said the government’s plan amounts to solitary confinement for people struggling with addiction.

Some residents who live near the centre have opposed the location because it is close to a high school.

Health officials said Monday the new facility is to offer more health supervision and connection to addiction treatment than Main Street’s existing facility.

Paramedics are soon to be on-site around the clock and people being detained will be assessed frequently, said Dr. Rob Grierson, the chief medical officer at Shared Health, Manitoba’s central health planning agency. Grierson is also the medical director of Winnipeg’s fire and paramedic service.

People will have to be cleared by a hospital before coming to the centre, he added, and will be offered followup care as they prepare to depart.

“The care of people when they leave this facility is going to be much more substantive. So there’ll be access to addictions care, access to mental health professionals and that type of care available either on-site or very close,” Grierson said.

Smith said future centres could be opened in other cities such as Brandon and Thompson. 

She said being detained in the new centre is a better alternative to what often happens to people high on drugs such as meth.

“We can’t keep incarcerating people and we can’t keep our health services tied up, and this is another tool for us to help get people the supports that they need.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2025.