Opening date for Manitoba’s first drug consumption site up in the air: Kinew

WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government is walking back comments that a supervised drug consumption site could open soon, with Premier Wab Kinew saying the province is taking some time to get things right.

Kinew told reporters Monday that he couldn’t provide a timeline for when the long-promised facility would open, because his government is working with a local service provider to determine how users will be connected to treatment, recovery or social service options.

It could take months for a network of services to be set up, he said.

“I want it to be a serious health-care facility staffed by high functioning, high achieving health-care folks who understand not just the cultural and community context, but also everything that the evidence and that their experience and practice would show them that they should know when they’re dealing with the most vulnerable in our society,” he said at an unrelated news conference. 

The NDP government announced earlier this month that it was looking at setting up a temporary mobile structure at the proposed site in Winnipeg while federal approval is pending for permanent operation and work continues on the existing building. 

It said at the time that it was the fastest way to get something set up and that permanent operation could be in place by next winter.

The province opted to use a federal provision that allows provinces to run temporary sites, officially called urgent public health need sites, without formal approval from Ottawa. A full, permanent operation would need federal approval.

Kinew said the province is stepping back from this approach and ensuring different health-care interventions are built within the site, whether it’s temporary or permanent, before opening. 

“Before we do take this very significant step, which is effectively to have a localized exemption for the criminal sanctions against illicit drug use, I want to make sure that the health-care offer is super strong.”

Part of this includes co-ordinating with the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre, which has been tapped to operate the site, the health-care system, law enforcement and community outreach groups.

The government has tasked the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre to address some priorities, and Kinew said he expects to hear from it shortly. 

The province has received some pushback on its decision to open the site, as well as its location.

It changed locations after its initial choice in the city’s core was protested by local residents who said it was too close to schools and a child-care centre. 

The new location is still in central Winnipeg but in a less residential area and farther from schools. However, some business owners and residents have opposed the new spot, saying the government hasn’t provided guarantees about security and access by minors.

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives have been against the site, saying the government should focus fully on treatment. Tory Leader Obby Khan said there are still many unknowns about the facility.

“People have questions on safety, on funding, on how it’s going to roll out, and we’re not getting any answers,” he said.

The government has said a supervised consumption site is needed to address the growing number of overdose deaths in Winnipeg, as well as reduce the amount of people using drugs out in the open.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026. 

— With files from Steve Lambert